Lamine Yamal Player of the Match for Spain v Belgium, but who decides? | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal was voted Player of the Match in Spain’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Belgium on Friday, ahead of team-mates including match-winner Mikel Merino.

According to L'Équipe, the award has been decided by a public vote since 2010 via FIFA’s website. The ballot is open to all, but the breakdown of votes and turnout are not published.

The 18-year-old was involved in Spain’s opener and showed flashes of his class in the first half. He had a quieter spell thereafter, while Merino’s introduction proved decisive and Rodri delivered a solid performance across the match.

The outcome may also reflect timing. Votes for Rodri and Yamal could have stacked up before Merino came on late, limiting support after his winner.

Merino had also influenced the last 16 against Portugal, a 1-0 victory, coming off the bench, yet Rodri topped that vote. Yamal likewise took the player of the match award against Austria, a 3-0 last-16 win on 2 July, when Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice.

These awards are ultimately ancillary, driven by varied logics that can seem fair or not and fuel argument. They recognised Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill in France’s 1-0 last-16 win, while on Thursday Kylian Mbappé drew the most votes against Morocco, a 2-0 quarter-final, his third of the tournament, one fewer than Lionel Messi.

Source: L'Équipe