Spain's Lamine Yamal Raises Eyebrows With Comments After World Cup Goal

Spain entered the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup as the overwhelming favorites to win it, but a dud 0-0 draw against Cape Verde to open sounded the alarm.

La Roja’s wunderkind winger Lamine Yamal was limited to roughly 20 minutes against Cape Verde, so questions swirled about his fitness entering Spain’s second Group H matchup with Saudi Arabia.

Yamal quickly quieted every concern in his first World Cup start, as the Barcelona star put away his first-ever World Cup goal in the 10th minute of Spain’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

Everyone knows that Yamal is 18 years old. His age is a predominant narrative at this World Cup. But it still smacks you in the face when he talks about how young he is because he plays well beyond his years.

“I’ve always dreamed about being at a World Cup and being able to score in my first start is a dream,” Yamal said after the match, per ESPN. “I watched the last World Cup in class at school. Being here is great. I’m very proud for my mother and my family.”

According to OptaJack, Yamal joined Brazilian legend Pelé, who was 17 in 1958, as the only players aged 18 or younger to open scoring in a men’s World Cup match.

Spain are in a good position atop Group H now, but they’ll need Yamal at his best moving forward to fulfill expectations and bring the men’s World Cup title home for the first time since 2010.

Your next chance to watch Yamal and Spain will be against Uruguay on Friday, June 26.

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 10:11 PM.