A final that will define Lamine Yamal's World Cup

ByAndy Cryer

BBC Sport elder journalist

When asked if Spain would triumph the World Cup, Lamine Yamal simply smiled and said "yes".

His words to American broadcaster CBS successful the build-up would person travel arsenic a astonishment to no-one who has seen the assured teen go 1 of the champion players connected the planet.

For galore though, for his prediction to travel true, Lamine Yamal was going to person to acceptable the tourney alight successful his archetypal ever World Cup.

So far, that has conscionable not happened.

The 19-year-old has scored 1 extremity and has not made an assist, but his state person cruised into the last anyhow and volition look Argentina connected Sunday.

While the likes of chap superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland person had starring roles, Lamine Yamal's World Cup has been amazingly understated.

But could this beryllium his moment?

Lamine Yamal's stats for Spain are incredible. He has yet to suffer for his state successful the 27 competitory matches helium has played. He has started 12 games astatine large tournaments for Spain and won each of them, the longest 100%-win complaint of immoderate European subordinate crossed large tournaments erstwhile starting.

If helium scores successful New York connected Sunday helium volition go conscionable the 3rd teen to find the nett successful a World Cup final, aft Pele successful 1950 and Mbappe successful 2018.

Win the tourney and helium becomes conscionable the 4th teen to ever commencement a World Cup last and triumph the trophy, aft Pele, Mbappe and Italy's Giuseppe Bergomi successful 1982. Nineteen-year-old team-mate Pau Cubarsi could go the fifth.

"No-one volition attraction whether Lamine has scored tons of goals and created tons of goals," said 1 Spain fan. "If helium wins the World Cup with Spain, helium volition beryllium a fable forever.

"If we suffer to Argentina, no-one volition retrieve his archetypal World Cup. We cognize helium volition person tons of different World Cups and we judge helium volition go the greatest.

"But not galore teenagers get the accidental to triumph a World Cup. This is his chance. He volition person regrets if we suffer and helium hasn't been capable to play his best."

So has the Barcelona youngster's tourney truly been that bad? No.

Coming into the tourney with an injury, Lamine Yamal started it connected the seat and was incapable to assistance unlock Cape Verde's defence erstwhile helium was introduced arsenic a substitute successful their goalless opener.

He started the adjacent game, scoring 10 minutes into his afloat World Cup debut and - with the crippled successful the container - was withdrawn astatine half-time arsenic Spain continued to caregiver him backmost from injury.

Since then, helium has started each lucifer arsenic Spain cruised done the rounds and cruised past favourites France to scope conscionable their 2nd World Cup final.

"Obviously I privation to people but I don't spell connected to the transportation reasoning astir that. I bash it reasoning astir helping the team," said Lamine Yamal.

"If we triumph the World Cup, no-one volition retrieve whether I scored goals... the important happening is winning.

"I cognize I tin lend adjacent if I don't score. I cognize my movements gully successful galore opponents truthful I bash everything I tin to assistance the team."

He has undoubtedly inactive been a threat.

Lamine Yamal has attempted 49 dribbles, astatine slightest 7 much than immoderate different subordinate astatine the tournament, and has completed 22 of those dribbles, astatine slightest six much than immoderate different subordinate isolated from Messi (25).

Before Spain's awesome semi-final triumph implicit France, midfielder Rodri said helium felt Lamine Yamal was playing with excessively overmuch anxiety.

"I deliberation helium needs to calm down a bit, that anxiousness that sometimes helium has to beryllium himself," helium said. "He's a precise important subordinate for america due to the fact that of what helium does with and without the ball, and he's a precise intelligent guy.

"It's existent that he's 19 years aged and that we person to calm him down astatine definite moments of the game."

You can't speech astir Lamine Yamal without mentioning Messi. Especially not with the 2 going caput to caput successful Sunday's final.

We each cognize the communicative by present of the duo's archetypal gathering astir 20 years ago, erstwhile a five-month-old Lamine Yamal was pictured being bathed by a 20-year-old Messi for a competition photoshoot.

The comparisons to Messi are inevitable and the stats suggest Lamine Yamal is connected his mode to becoming a worthy heir to the subordinate galore see the top ever.

He has already played successful a Champions League semi-final, won a European Championship and helium has been fixed the fig 10 garment astatine Barcelona that Messi wore for astir 15 years.

At conscionable 19, helium has played 151 times for Barcelona. By the clip Messi reached his 19th day connected 24 June 2006, helium had made conscionable 41 top-flight appearances for the club.

He is nary longer a prodigy. Already connected the country for 4 years, Lamine Yamal is an established star.

He doesn't request a World Cup triumph to cement his greatness - aft all, Messi's archetypal didn't travel until helium was 35. But helium volition privation one.

Manager Luis de la Fuente tries to soundlessness the Messi comparisons.

"The worst mistake would beryllium to comparison him to Messi and Maradona," helium said. "He is the midst of a process.

"He has large serenity and strength. Those players who person thing antithetic are acceptable for that. They're geniuses, similar Dali oregon Michelangelo.

"They're different. What is exceptional to america isn't to them. In those extremes, they consciousness comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we deliberation is exceptional, they see normal."

Much of the communicative connected Sunday is astir whether Messi tin triumph his 2nd World Cup astatine the property of 39. If it goes successful Spain's favour though, it could beryllium the infinitesimal the baton is passed to Lamine Yamal.

Lamine Yamal is simply a superstar. I saw the 2 friends helium feels astatine easiness with and who spell with him everyplace and adjacent they were treated similar superstars by astir 200 radical waiting for the players extracurricular their hotel.

So was Sheila, his mother, and helium loves that due to the fact that he's fixed his parent everything she didn't have.

Also, everyone has fallen successful emotion with Keyne, his small brother, with whom Lamine has a large relationship. He is loving the full acquisition and loving that his household is enjoying it too.

It hasn't each been easy. Two oregon 3 days ago, radical tried to interruption into his location backmost successful Catalonia, Spain. They realised determination were information cameras and ran away.

Lamine isn't 100% acceptable and helium hasn't been astatine his best. But helium wants to amusement you however bully helium is.

He ever says the archetypal happening helium wants to retrieve erstwhile he's connected the transportation is the feeling helium had erstwhile playing connected the factual transportation successful Rocafonda, a working-class neighbourhood successful Mataro, Spain.

He would bash thing determination and the radical that were half-watching the crippled sitting successful the stands would conscionable basal up and clap and that is the feeling helium wants to reproduce - truthful that's however helium plays.

He's been invited by the squad to really effort immoderate helium wants but besides to beryllium intelligent.

I deliberation he's improved connected that successful the semi-final against France and helium worked precise hard defensively too, truthful he's been praised by the team.

Everybody says he's the lone 1 capable to triumph games by himself - but we haven't needed him to... yet.