May 31, 2026
Spanish national team star Lamine Yamal admitted Sunday he had been “afraid” of missing the World Cup because of the hamstring injury he is still recovering from.
The 18-year-old suffered the injury as he scored a penalty for Barcelona against Celta Vigo on April 22.
“Internally I was praying it was nothing, that it was just cramp or something like that, because the World Cup was very close and I knew that a hamstring injury is never a short-term thing,” said the winger to the Spanish football federation’s own media outlet.
“I was afraid it might be serious and, above all, that even if it wasn’t serious, I could suffer a setback and end up missing the World Cup.”
