All eyes on Yamal, the teen prodigy carrying Spain's World Cup hopes

MADRID — Despite being only 18 years old, Lamine Yamal will be carrying the responsibility of a seasoned veteran when Spain enters the World Cup seeking its second world title.

The prodigy has been La Roja's top star for the past few years, attracting the spotlight on and off the field.

He's earned accolades for helping Spain and Barcelona thrive, he has made headlines by waving a Palestinian flag during a title celebration and he's been criticized for hiring people with dwarfism as entertainers at his lavish 18th birthday party.

More recently he's prompted nationwide concern by getting injured just weeks before soccer's showcase event, putting his participation in the tournament in doubt.

Yamal, however, will make it to the World Cup after all — the first for the teenager considered by many the heir apparent to the one-and-only Lionel Messi at Barcelona.

Many expect him to thrive at the tournament in North America, breaking through once and for all on the global stage.

"The time has finally come," Yamal said in an interview with the Spanish soccer federation after Spain's World Cup squad was announced on May 25.

Managing expectations

Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente showed no hesitation adding Yamal to the squad, even though it wasn't guaranteed that the forward would be 100 percent fit after injuring his left hamstring with Barcelona in April.

Yamal himself said he was scared of missing the World Cup.

De la Fuente last week said Yamal is likely to be ready to play from the start, but he also called for "prudence" about the expectations surrounding the young star.

"He's still 18 years old," the coach told Movistar after announcing the squad. "He's already very mature as a player, and we can't even fathom his full potential right now, but we have to give him the necessary time. Especially now that he is coming off an injury.

"We simply hope he'll be up to the task, but without putting any added pressure on him. We know the media focus is on him, that soccer fans around the world are watching him, and obviously, in Spain, he's already a reference," De la Fuente said. "We're going to give him everything he needs to develop and perform with confidence."

Yamal, who said he is already used to the pressure that has been put on him, has been around for a while on the Spanish soccer scene, showing his uncanny talent with the ball and brilliance as a playmaker. He made his debut with Barcelona as a 15-year-old, becoming the youngest player to feature in the Spanish league for the Catalan club.

He has made appearances in four Spanish league seasons since then, and this year led the club in goals — 16 along with Ferran Torres — and led the league in assists and dribbles. He was chosen the league's best player.

"In my mind, it's like I've been playing for 10 years, but actually it's only been three years. Four years ago I was playing in the neighborhood sports center," Yamal said.

"To think a kid like that is now going to play in a World Cup is something crazy."

It didn't take long for Yamal's brilliance to make it to the national team as well. He was 16 when he debuted with the senior squad in 2023, becoming the youngest ever to play — and score — for Spain.

A year later, he became the youngest to feature at a European Championship, helping lead Spain to the title while being named the tournament's best young player.

Spotlight beyond pitch

Yamal's jersey is the biggest seller in Spain and is believed to be one of the most sought-after worldwide as well.

But his fame has not come without controversy.

Yamal, who is a Muslim and whose father is Moroccan, attracted headlines worldwide when he waved the Palestinian flag during Barcelona's title celebrations after it won the Spanish league in May.

Barcelona's German coach Hansi Flick questioned the teenager's decision, and Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, criticized Yamal, complaining that he was inciting "hate".

Last year, Yamal faced backlash after people with dwarfism were hired for his birthday party, prompting Spain's Ministry of Social Rights to ask prosecutors to open an investigation into the hiring and exposition of the entertainers. Yamal denied wrongdoing, and later said he has the right to enjoy life while he's not playing for Barcelona.

All eyes will be on Yamal again at the World Cup, when he will lead a Spain team that rebounded from a round-of-16 elimination by Morocco at the 2022 World Cup by winning Euro 2024 in Germany.

La Roja also won the 2023 Nations League and was runner-up to Portugal in the 2025 edition.

Spain hasn't gone past the last 16 in the World Cup since its lone title in 2010.

It will open its Group H campaign this year against Cape Verde on June 15 in Atlanta, where it will also face Saudi Arabia on June 21, before traveling to Guadalajara, Mexico, to play Uruguay on June 26.

Yamal, who said he has dreamed about lifting the World Cup trophy"1,000 times in my bedroom", can't wait to get started on Spain's quest for glory.

"I think that ever since the European Championship ended, we've all been thinking about this day, and we are all very excited. We will enter the tournament as the European champions, and we are going to give it everything we have."