How Lamine Yamal creates space and shapes Spain’s attack at the World Cup

Lamine Yamal: jersey number 19, 18 years old, left-footed, and the world at his feet.

The first three of the four descriptions could easily be attributed to the way a certain Argentinian took to the world’s biggest stage twenty years ago.

But the two finishes had different weights.

When Lionel Messi came into action against Serbia and Montenegro, with his shaggy, long hair, he had made around fifty senior club appearances and scored nine goals, paltry figures compared to those of the Spanish youngster. Before setting foot on the pitch for his World Cup debut, Yamal had tripled his caps, with 49 goals and 52 assists in that period.

So the tournament in North America was perfectly set up as the stage on which he could begin his legacy, but things haven’t quite fallen into place yet. The deceit, the deceit and the eagerness to take on his man at any time are still there. Just ask Austrian Konrad Laimer, who was nutmegged three times in the first half during the Round of 32.

But the ‘end product’, as experts and their followers at home like to call it, was missing.

Injuries and the resulting reduction in minutes have had their effect, but Spain still largely got through the tournament, apart from the opening game against plucky Cape Verde. Despite his apparent lack of edge in the tournament, Yamal has managed to find ways to tilt games in Spain’s favor.

In the 352 minutes he has played so far, Yamal has completed 23 take-ons, the most in the tournament with Brazilian Vinicius Jr. (23), who still played 154 minutes. Furthermore, his ball progression of 6.4 per 90 (25 overall) put him in the top four percent of all players at the quadrennial tournament, with only Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius having more (26 each).

With each game won, the entire gravity of the pitch slowly shifts towards him, giving Spain’s central attacking players such as Dani Olmo and Pedri more space to work with. First one man tries his luck, then two, and suddenly the entire right side of the field is involved in a concerted effort to contain the teenager.

This also opens the door for the Spanish left side to become more adventurous, from Marc Cucurella all the way at the back to Alex Baena in the final third. With Yamal’s counterpart in that side, Nico Williams, who has not yet fully recovered from injury, Baena, who lacks the youngster’s explosiveness, manages to get enough breathing space to create chances.

Against Austria, all three of Spain’s goals came from the left wing, with Cucurella grabbing two assists while Baena settled for one. In fact, in both of La Roja’s knockout games, the left side has produced a higher percentage of progressive passes.

Back on Yamal’s hunting grounds, dealing with him was a challenge, even for some of the best in the world. Against Portugal he took on Nuno Mendes, arguably one of the best left backs in the tournament, and pushed him to his limits.

So much so that the 24-year-old Portuguese had to be subbed off early in the second half after sustaining an injury following a last-ditch defensive effort that prevented Yamal’s cross from reaching a teammate.

After the match, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente praised Yamal, claiming he «generated a lot of fear» in the opposition.

«For me, Lamine played one of the most important games of his life. Apart from whether he was brilliant or not, for me it was one of the games that will help him grow the most. When he had the ball, he always created doubt and uncertainty in the opponent,» de la Fuente said.

Nelson Semedo, who replaced Mendes, proved less difficult for Yamal, forcing Portuguese left winger Joao Felix to make a more defensive contribution. As a result, Portugal’s attack suffered, with Felix failing to register a single shot or cross in his 71 minutes on the pitch, most of which he spent outside the zone he was expected to dominate.

Over the years, many have been touted as the next Messi, and perhaps no player has had a start quite like Yamal’s. But for now, those comparisons can wait. For Yamal, Spain is all that matters, and with his noodle hair and silky smooth movements he still has the world at his feet.

The ‘finished product’ will come eventually, and even if it doesn’t, he will certainly be fundamental to Spain’s approach as the team searches for a second World Cup title.

Published on July 10, 2026