Spain’s young forward Lamine Yamal turned 19 on Monday (July 13). Yet, at this young age, he is already considered one of the best young attacking players in the world.
After a stellar performance for Barcelona during the 2023-24 season, he earned a spot in Spain’s Euro 2024 squad. Much like Kylian Mbappé shone in his debut major international tournament at the 2018 World Cup, Yamal displayed extraordinary skill at the Euros, playing a pivotal role in Spain’s title victory.
Last year, at just 18, Yamal finished as the runner-up in the voting for the Ballon d’Or award. However, a hamstring injury suffered in April of this year dealt a significant blow to his World Cup preparations.
Despite starting in five matches during this World Cup, he has scored only one goal. Consequently, he has not been able to shine quite like Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, or Jude Bellingham.
Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, said, “I told him to stay calm. He matured into a seasoned player last year. He is only 19 now. I simply told him to forget the anxiety and enjoy his football. Lamine’s big moment in this World Cup is yet to come.”
With Yamal and Nico Williams not fully fit for this World Cup, the coach has had to alter Spain’s style of play. While the Euro champions previously pressured opponents with rapid attacks down the wings, they are now placing greater emphasis on maintaining ball possession.
Spanish football journalist Ruairidh Barlow notes, “This forces Yamal to play in much tighter spaces. Multiple opposing defenders surround him, and Spain’s attack lacks its former pace. As a result, he isn’t able to play the dazzling football he once did.”
In his view, “Spain now needs just two or three moments per match from Yamal where he can break down the opposition’s defense.” “So far, he has pretty much demonstrated exactly that.”
In the quarter-final against Belgium, Yamal won more duels than any other player on the team. Before that match, De la Fuente had remarked that the time was right for him—not necessarily to score ten goals, but to make the difference in crucial matches.
Xavi, the former Barcelona coach who handed Yamal his debut with the senior team, believes this youngster is destined to dominate world football in the future.
In a column for The Athletic, Xavi wrote, “We often forget that he is only 19. Perhaps we expect too much of him. But he is extraordinarily talented. He has the ability to do so much on the pitch that his teammates now actively look for him; whenever the team faces a problem during a match, the ball finds its way to Lamine.”
He added, “We have seen very few players capable of taking charge and making a decisive impact on a match at such a young age. After Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Pelé, and perhaps Ronaldo Nazário, I see that same quality in Lamine.”
Finally, Xavi predicted that if Lamine can stay on the right track, the next 15 to 20 years of world football will belong to him.
