Lamine Yamal Carries the Weight of the Impossible—But Pure Excellence Is His Only Answer

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — When I asked a fan named Rob about his favorite Spain player ahead of La Roja's round of 32 showdown with Austria on Thursday, a look of disbelief and bewilderment swept across his face.

It was such a striking reaction—though perhaps understandable from someone dressed in a traditional matador costume—that I momentarily worried I had accidentally offended him with my fumbling attempt at broken Spanish. Thankfully not (this time). He was simply taken aback by the question when the answer seemed so blindingly obvious. "Lamine, por supuesto."

It was a sentiment widely shared among a wave of red-shirted supporters, most of whom were wearing Lamine Yamal's No. 19 on their backs, as they made their way into SoFi Stadium.

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Yet for all the adulation, there was also a feeling that the fan favorite hadn't quite lived up to expectations at the World Cup so far.

That view—reflected by fans who noted Yamal had managed just one goal in the group stage—overlooked the difficult circumstances surrounding the Barcelona forward's preparation. Without adding to his goal count, Yamal still offered plenty of reminders of his exceptional ability.

Yamal's World Cup Has Only Just Begun

Yamal essentially used the opening round as a competitive recovery process from injury. The fact that he could display any of his trademark brilliance after 50 days rehabilitating a torn hamstring speaks volumes about his extraordinary talent. This was the first occasion that Luis de la Fuente didn't need to carefully manage his forward's physical condition. More crucially, Yamal is being measured against players from entirely different eras.

As the 18-year-old has noted himself when asked about his standing in the Golden Boot conversation, Kylian Mbappé (27) and Erling Haaland (25) are not his contemporaries. Lionel Messi could conceivably be the father of the child he once bathed during a photoshoot for Barcelona's 2008 calendar.

Austrian fullback Konrad Laimer looked every bit of his 29 years as he labored beneath SoFi's suspended roof, squinting through the dappled sunlight in his futile efforts to contain Yamal. Spain's elusive dribbler nutmegged Bayern Munich's decorated German champion three times in the opening 34 minutes alone.

In moments like these, time seems to stand still with Yamal in full flow. The face of this World Cup is a talent capable of elevating the spirit above the mundane, silencing the background noise with every touch of the ball with the outside of his left boot.

The only element missing from his high-quality dribbling display was a goal—though not for lack of effort. Yamal unleashed six shots, forcing Alexander Schlager into four outstanding saves before eventually beating the goalkeeper, only for David Alaba to hastily clear the effort off the line. Fortunately for his teammates, Spain no longer appeared quite so dependent on a teenager who had only recently had his braces removed.

Spain Rediscover Some Balance

Two years of injuries and inconsistent form have somewhat obscured just how outstanding Nico Williams was for Spain during Euro 2024. The lightning-quick Athletic Club forward scored twice as many goals as Yamal at that tournament, including one in the final against England. De la Fuente's well-known quote describing Yamal as a player "touched by God's wand" was actually first applied when speaking about the Barcelona prodigy and Williams.

The post-Euros misfortune has carried over into this summer's competition for Williams, with the 23-year-old falling victim to Uruguay's rough treatment in a combative group stage finale. Álex Baena retained his spot on the left wing in the absence of his injured compatriot, delivering his strongest performance of the World Cup—against an admittedly vulnerable opponent.

Yamal's influence on a match is unmistakable. The pitch often appears to tilt toward that left-footed force on the right wing, with every pass directed wide and a cluster of defenders swarming around the one player everyone has their eyes on. That opposition attention isn't going away, but it creates space for Yamal's teammates to benefit from reduced pressure if they have the courage to play elsewhere. On Thursday, they did.

All three of Spain's goals originated from the left wing. Marc Cucurella burst forward from fullback to set up both of Mikel Oyarzabal's clean finishes, sandwiched around Baena's delicate cross for Pedro Porro to head home.

If Spain can sustain that attacking variety, the reigning European champion will be better positioned to replicate its continental triumph on the world stage. Yet, should the burden fall entirely on Yamal's shoulders, he has the mental fortitude to carry it.

"I understand that I'm the player who generates the most excitement," the teenager said with a shrug. "I'm the player who can change the game. Pressure only exists when you can't deliver what's asked of you, but I can." He most certainly can.