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When billionaires decide to celebrate, they do so on a scale that defies the imagination of the rest of us.
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The British tycoon Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin empire and eternal adventurer, has given a new example of his eccentricity and passion for football by investing approximately 5 million dollars to make the young FC Barcelona phenomenon, Lamine Yamal, the star guest at his 76th birthday party, held last weekend in an exclusive mansion near London.
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The event, which is already considered one of the most spectacular private birthdays of the year, brought together a selection of the most influential personalities from the business, technological, artistic and sports worlds.
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However, the real protagonist of the evening, beyond the host, was the 18-year-old teenager who is revolutionizing world football: Lamine Yamal.
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Branson, a declared fan of European football
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Although Sir Richard Branson is known worldwide for having revolutionized the music industry with Virgin Records, for challenging the skies with Virgin Atlantic and for dreaming of space tourism through Virgin Galactic, few know that his true sporting passion is European football, with special devotion to LaLiga and the Premier League.
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In recent years, the British businessman has followed FC Barcelona matches with obsessive attention. But since the stellar emergence of Lamine Yamal in the 2023/24 season, and especially during the 2024/2025 campaign, the young right winger became his undisputed favorite player.
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«Lamine represents everything I love about modern football: pure talent, courage to attempt impossible plays, exquisite technique and a maturity beyond his age. “He is a child who plays as if he had 30 years of experience,” Branson would have declared on several occasions to his inner circle.
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That admiration did not remain in words.
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During last season, after each memorable performance by Yamal – be it a great rabona goal against Real Madrid, a pinpoint assist in the Champions League or an exhibition in the Clásico – the billionaire would have sent personal gifts to the young man through his representative.
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These include limited edition watches, exclusive Virgin Galactic items and even a symbolic invitation to a suborbital flight (which Yamal politely declined for calendar reasons).
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The most extravagant VIP package imaginable
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For his 76th birthday, Branson decided to go much further than a gift or congratulations. The operation he organized to bring Lamine Yamal to England was of extraordinary magnitude:
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Private jet from El Prat airport (Barcelona) to Farnborough airport (United Kingdom), round trip Seven-day stay in the most exclusive penthouse suite of the legendary The Ritz London, one of the most expensive and sought-after rooms in Europe Chauffeur service with Rolls-Royce Phantom throughout the week Private session with one of the most prestigious tailors on Savile Row to prepare the young footballer’s gala outfit Two hours of stellar presence at the main party: Lamine Yamal was in charge of cutting the monumental birthday cake (a work of art several meters high decorated with motifs of the Barça crest, the Spanish national team shirt and elements of Branson’s life) together with the host Unlimited photo session with VIP guests: from technology moguls to movie stars, legendary musicians and several former elite footballers
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The estimated price of the entire package, according to sources close to Branson’s entourage, would be around5 million dollars, including the cost of the jet, the suite, associated services and generous financial compensation for the player and his family environment.
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The most emotional moment of the night
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After the cutting of the cake and the inevitable photographs, the moment arrived that turned a luxury party into an unforgettable event for all those present.
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Lamine Yamal took the stage accompanied by Branson. The young man, who normally appears reserved and mature beyond his years, surprised everyone with a brief but deeply felt speech:
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«Sir Richard, you have spent your entire life dreaming big. He’s built empires, flown higher than anyone else, and has never been afraid to try the impossible.
That spirit of dreaming without limits, of persevering when everything seems lost, of always wanting to overcome what seems unattainable… is exactly what inspires me every day in the field.
When I have a bad game, when I miss a dribble or when the pressure is enormous, I think about people like you, who never give up. Thank you for believing in me and for showing me that the craziest dreams can come true.
The words, spoken with a sincerity and eloquence that left the hundreds of guests silent, provoked an unexpected reaction in the host. Sir Richard Branson, known for his jovial character and his usual self-control, could not hold back his tears.
Several people present described the moment as “one of the most moving in memory at a party of this level.”
“It was incredible to see a 76-year-old billionaire get excited like a child at the words of an 18-year-old kid,” commented one of the attendees on condition of anonymity. «In that instant, the money, the yachts and the private jets disappeared.
“There were only two people left talking about dreams and never giving up.”
A billionaire’s whim or a story of genuine admiration?
The news has generated reactions of all kinds on the networks and in the media.
While some see the gesture as another example of the waste of the ultra-rich in times of global economic crisis, others interpret it as a beautiful story of mutual admiration between two people who, from completely different worlds, share the same philosophy: that of pursuing the extraordinary without fear of failure.
Lamine Yamal, for his part, has not made public statements about the event (something usual for him when it comes to personal matters). However, people close to him say that the young man returned to Barcelona “very touched” by the experience and “even more motivated” to continue growing as a footballer.
Sir Richard Branson, on the other hand, would have privately shared with his team that “meeting Lamine in person was the best birthday gift I could have received.”
Two parallel universes—that of elite football and that of great visionary businessmen—met for a few hours in an English mansion.
And in the midst of so much luxury and ostentation, what really remained etched in the memory of those present was a moment of pure humanity: a teenager inspiring a septuagenarian, and a billionaire crying with emotion at the sincerity of a child who is only 18 years old.
Perhaps, in the end, that is the true greatness of Sir Richard Branson: knowing how to recognize magic when he sees it, even if it comes dressed in the number 19 Blaugrana shirt.
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