When asked if Spain would win the World Cup, Lamine Yamal simply smiled and said “yes”.
His words to American broadcaster CBS in the build-up would have come as a surprise to no-one who has seen the confident teenager become one of the best players on the planet.
For many though, for his prediction to come true, Lamine Yamal was going to have to set the tournament alight in his first ever World Cup.
So far, that has just not happened.
The 19-year-old has scored one goal and has not made an assist, but his country have cruised into the final anyway and will face Argentina on Sunday.
While the likes of fellow superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland have had starring roles, Lamine Yamal’s World Cup has been surprisingly understated.
But could this be his moment?
Lamine Yamal’s stats for Spain are incredible. He has yet to lose for his country in the 27 competitive matches he has played. He has started 12 games at major tournaments for Spain and won all of them, the longest 100%-win rate of any European player across major tournaments when starting.
If he scores in New York on Sunday he will become just the third teenager to find the net in a World Cup final, after Pele in 1950 and Mbappe in 2018.
Win the tournament and he becomes just the fourth teenager to ever start a World Cup final and win the trophy, after Pele, Mbappe and Italy’s Giuseppe Bergomi in 1982. Nineteen-year-old team-mate Pau Cubarsi could become the fifth.
“No-one will care whether Lamine has scored lots of goals and created lots of goals,” said one Spain fan. “If he wins the World Cup with Spain, he will be a legend forever.
“If we lose to Argentina, no-one will remember his first World Cup. We know he will have lots of other World Cups and we believe he will become the greatest.
“But not many teenagers get the chance to win a World Cup. This is his chance. He will have regrets if we lose and he hasn’t been able to play his best.”
