Coach Luis de la Fuente affirmed that Lamine Yamal should not be compared with Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona. However, when Yamal is only 18 years old and has created such a great influence in the Spanish national team jersey, it is difficult not to be drawn into expectations.
In the pre-match press conference, De la Fuente once called Yamal "a genius". He compared this young talent to artists like Salvador Dali or Michelangelo.
They are different. What we consider extraordinary is very normal for them" - the Spanish strategist said.
In Spain's 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in Group H, Yamal and his teammates brought a convincing performance right from the first half. It may not be a masterpiece, because bigger challenges are still waiting ahead, but that is enough to bring Spain back to the position of one of the top candidates for the 2026 World Cup championship.
After the goalless draw against Cabo Verde, Spain needed an affirmation. And they did it with an energetic, fast and effective performance.
In the opening match, Yamal only played about the last 20 minutes due to not fully recovering from a hamstring injury. Therefore, before the confrontation with Saudi Arabia, the biggest question is whether the Barcelona star will start or not.
De la Fuente responded in action. Yamal appeared in the starting lineup with Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena. Meanwhile, Ferran Torres, Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz and Gavi had to sit on the bench.
Those are stronger changes than many people predicted, showing that De la Fuente is not satisfied with his team's performance in the opening match. Not only the presence of Yamal, adjustments in midfield also play an important role. Letting Fabian Ruiz be on the bench helps Pedri be pulled down to play lower alongside Rodri, a position that helps him maximize his ability to regulate play in Barcelona colors.
Instead of having to constantly move in the highest midfield area, Pedri has more space to control the pace of the match and promote creativity.
Meanwhile, Dani Olmo operated effectively in the number 10 role. Spain deployed the ball at a much higher speed than in the match against Cabo Verde. In the first 25 minutes, they almost did not give the opponent a chance to breathe.
Post-match statistics - 66.6% ball possession, four clear chances and expected goal score (xG) of 2.85 - still do not fully reflect Spain's dominance in the first half.
Before the match, De la Fuente admitted that he had to "restrain" Yamal because this young player was too eager to show himself at the World Cup.
Lamine Yamal is in a stage where we have to keep him calm a bit. He loves football so much that he always wants more" - he said.
Right from the first seconds, that excitement was clearly shown. Just 30 seconds later, Yamal had his first handling when receiving the ball, overcoming the opponent with personal technique and then launching a cross into the penalty area.
Spain continuously tries to move the ball to the right wing, where Yamal is active. The goal is very clear - to create conditions for this player to face one defender instead of two or three as usual.
In the third minute, Yamal continued to make his mark with a dangerous cross before launching a shot from outside the penalty area sending the ball over the crossbar. At that time, it felt like he was too eager to find a goal.
But Yamal did not have to wait long. In the 10th minute, from Mikel Oyarzabal's accurate pass, the young talent of Barcelona rushed in and finished neatly at the far post, opening the score for Spain.
The early goal helped all the pressure accumulated after the Cabo Verde draw disappear. Yamal rushed towards the corner flag to celebrate, showing a radiant smile in the arms of his teammates before kneeling down and kissing the grass.
At the age of 18 years and 343 days, Yamal scored his first goal at the World Cup, only a few days older than Messi's age when the Argentine superstar scored his first goal in the biggest playground on the planet.
