Lamine Yamal is still pursuing his great game in the World Cup. And you have this Sunday his best and last opportunity: the final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina. With only 19 years oldtakes over the publicity in New York alongside the captain of the Albiceleste. One goal in the tournament, three player of the match awards and a global star magnitude.
“Lamine has a bullet saved”he assured Luis de la FuenteSpanish coach, on the eve of the World Cup final.
A bullet that He has not yet spent during a tournament he entered with a hamstring injury. The Barcelona footballer fell on April 22but the doctors assured him that he would make it to the World Cup. And so it was.
Its incorporation was progressive. disputed 19 minutes in the debut against Cape Verde to pick up the pace and started against Saudi Arabia. In 45 minutes he scored his only goal of the tournament. His presence, incisive from the beginning, allowed Spain to get the game back on track with a 3-0 in the first half.
That June 21 won his first award for best player of the match. He repeated the recognition before Austria, in the round of 32, and Belgium, in the quarterfinals. Although he did not score or assist again, he was key in Spain’s performance and also in their defensive commitmentto the point of being considered “an example” for his companions. Kylian Mbappé knows it well.
Against France, the duel that was marked in red was once again decisive. He did not score or assist, but he intelligently forced Lucas Digne’s penalty which later became Mikel Oyarzabal to open the score in victory 0-2.
Luis de la Fuente and his companions have tried to reduce anxiety that surrounds the young Spanish talent and protect him from the enormous media exposure that accompanies his figure, present 24 hours a day on the illuminated signs in Times Square.
Lamine Yamal is already a global star. Now you will be faced with Lionel Messiin a duel that symbolizes the present versus the future: 39 years versus 19the Argentine’s heir at Barcelona trying snatch the world cup throne.
Before the semifinals, the attacker himself wanted to make it clear that the collective objective is above any personal achievement.
“We won the European Championship and I only scored one goal. If we win the World Cup and I don’t score more, no one will tell me anything”he assured.
However, Spain places a large part of its hopes on Lamine scoring or assisting againconvinced that a decisive performance by the young winger can bring her closer to her second star as world champion.
The footballer reaches the final with a single training session on the grassafter suffering a blow to the left leg in the penalty play that caused against France. He missed practice on Thursday, returned with the group on Friday and this Saturday, due to a thunderstorm, he was only able to do work in the gym.