Lamine Yamal seeks to steal the spotlight from Mbappé
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is seeking to emulate Kylian Mbappé by winning the World Cup as a teenager, but his national team, Spain, must first overcome France and its captain, Real Madrid star Mbappé, in today’s semi-final.
When Mbappé scored in France’s victory over Croatia in the 2018 World Cup final, he was just 19 years and 207 days old, becoming the second teenager to score in a World Cup final after Pelé, who was 17 in 1958. Since then, Mbappé has developed a special relationship with the World Cup, while this tournament marks Yamal’s first major experience. Yamal has already made his mark on the big stage, contributing a stunning goal in the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final against France to secure Spain’s 2-1 victory.
That performance came just four days before his 17th birthday, which coincided with the eve of the final. Spain defeated England, and Yamal was named the tournament’s best young player. This time, his 19th birthday falls on the eve of the semi-final in Arlington. He is still young, with his best years ahead, but he is clearly eager to leave a strong imprint on this edition of the World Cup. There may be excessive enthusiasm, as his participation in the tournament was initially in doubt due to his absence from the end of the season with Barcelona because of a hamstring injury.
Spain captain Rodri said, “I think Lamine needs to lower the level of anxiety he sometimes feels because he wants to show how important he is to us.” He added, “Considering he showed this level of maturity at the Euros, when he is two years older, what he delivers will not be surprising.”
Mbappé, now 27, serves as an inspirational leader and appears determined to cement his legacy as one of the greatest World Cup players in history. With eight goals in this tournament, he is tied with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, trailing only the Argentine’s all-time World Cup record of 21 goals by one.
After winning the title in 2018 and scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 final, which Argentina won, Mbappé is aiming for a third consecutive final appearance. This would allow him to equal the feat of legendary Brazilian full-back Cafu, who played in three consecutive finals between 1994 and 2002, whereas other Brazilian Pelé and Argentine Diego Maradona reached only two finals each.
His obvious obsession with the World Cup may explain his absence for part of the second half of the season with Real Madrid, leading some fans to question his commitment to the club while he recovered from injuries.
Yamal and Mbappé have already become icons in their respective countries and beyond, representing the face of modern, multicultural Europe. Mbappé has more experience, having won the World Cup and speaking English confidently in public appearances, factors that make him one of the tournament’s prominent faces in the United States. The outstanding Yamal is keeping pace off the pitch, but his statistics in head-to-head matchups against Mbappé on the field are striking. The two players have faced each other frequently over the past two years through “Clásico” matches, where Mbappé has suffered eight defeats compared to just two wins in 10 encounters against Yamal at the club and international levels.
