Who will steal the spotlight tomorrow?

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is aiming to emulate Kylian Mbappé by winning the World Cup as a teenager, but his national team, Spain, must first overcome France tomorrow.

When Mbappé scored in France’s victory over Croatia in the 2018 World Cup final, he was 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 already made his mark on a major stage, contributing his stunning goal in the Euro 2024 semi-final against France to Spain’s 2-1 win. That performance came just four days before his 17th birthday, which coincided with the eve of the final, where Spain defeated England. Yamal was named the tournament’s best young player.

After coming on as a substitute in Spain’s opening 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, Yamal started against Saudi Arabia, scoring a goal before being substituted at halftime in a 4-0 victory. Since then, he has started every match without adding to his goal tally.

As Yamal’s impact has waned, Spain has lacked the lethal vertical threat that made them such a difficult team to stop at Euro 2024. Conversely, France has regained the attacking effectiveness they lacked in the continental tournament and boast one of the most exciting forward lines in this World Cup.

With eight goals in this tournament, Yamal is tied with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot and trails 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 targeting a third consecutive final appearance. Doing so would allow him to equal the feat of legendary Brazilian full-back Cafu, who played in three consecutive finals between 1994 and 2002. Meanwhile, other Brazilian Pelé and Argentine Diego Maradona each reached only two finals. Mbappé possesses greater experience, having already won the World Cup, and speaks English confidently in public appearances, factors that make him one of the standout figures of this tournament in the United States.

The dazzling Yamal continues to keep pace off the pitch, but his numbers in head-to-head matchups with Mbappé on the field are striking. The two have faced each other frequently over the past two years in “Clásico” matches, with Mbappé suffering eight defeats in just two victories in 10 encounters against Yamal at club and international level.