Lamine Yamal turns 19 as Spain await his standout World Cup display | OneFootball

On the eve of Spain’s semi-final against France, Lamine Yamal turns 19 and believes his standout World Cup display is still to come. Spain have reached this stage without the best version of their star, who arrived injured.

With four games left, the scoring chart features Leo Messi and Kylian Mbappé on 8, Erling Haaland on 7, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham on 6, and Ousmane Dembélé on 5, while Michael Olise leads assists with 5. Yamal is not among the leading scorers. “I think I can be better... I have taken this whole process calmly to arrive well at this moment, I feel very good, eager to show what we are as Spain and what I am,” he told Mundo Deportivo before the Belgium quarter-final.

Yamal damaged his left hamstring on 22 April, scoring a penalty in Barça-Celta. Barcelona’s medical note said he would be fully fit for the World Cup if recovery posed no setbacks. He met the timeline, was cleared for the opener against Cabo Verde, and had already completed two full training sessions, then came on for 19 minutes as Spain laboured.

He started the second game, with Spain 3-0 up at half-time against Saudi Arabia thanks to his only goal so far, so Luis de la Fuente rested him after the break. He played most of the ties with Uruguay and Austria, then the last two to the 90 against Portugal and Belgium, but did not shine. Nuno Mendes halted him and, even after the PSG defender went off, he could not tilt it.

De la Fuente said the best attacking version of Yamal is still to come, adding that his motivation must be kept calm to avoid anxiety. Some of that was visible against Belgium, when arguments over first-half decisions led to frustration.

The semi-final brings a favourable personal memory, three goals across his only two meetings with France, the Euro 2024 semi-final and the Nations League 2025. After beating Belgium, he said he is feeling much better after injury and that each week he will be better. “I arrive with a lot of confidence, I know everything will turn out well and I am ready.”

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo