Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente stepped to the microphone on June 20 and did what coaches have done since the dawn of press conferences: tried to take the spotlight off his youngest, most electric player. The message was clear. Stop comparing Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
The timing matters. Spain face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on June 21 in a match that already feels like a must-win after La Roja stumbled to a 0-0 draw against Cabo Verde in their World Cup opener.
Yamal gets his first World Cup start
Despite recovering from a hamstring injury sustained back in April 2026, Yamal has been named in the starting lineup for the Saudi Arabia clash. It will be his first appearance as a starter in a World Cup fixture, a milestone that carries its own weight for an 18-year-old who won’t turn 19 until July 13.
The kid came off the bench against Cabo Verde, playing roughly 20 minutes without managing a shot on target. Yamal himself has acknowledged that playing a full 90 minutes is “too soon” given his fitness, suggesting the coaching staff will manage his workload carefully even as a starter.
