Lamine Yamal left Spain’s quarterfinal against Belgium without a goal, but he still left it as the player of the match, and that was enough to push Spain into the World Cup semifinals for the second time. The 18-year-old said the only number that matters now is the one tied to Spain winning the tournament.
That is why his comments landed so quickly after Friday’s victory in Los Angeles. Yamal, who has scored one goal at this World Cup, said nobody will remember his personal tally if Spain lift the trophy. “Obviously I want to score, but I don’t go onto the pitch thinking about that. I do it thinking about helping the team,” he said, adding that “if we win the World Cup, no one will remember whether I scored goals … The important thing is winning.”
Yamal’s case is easier to understand when the numbers are lined up. He has made six FIFA World Cup appearances, the most by a player aged 18 or younger in the competition, and his only goal came in Spain’s 4-0 group-stage win over Saudi Arabia on June 21. He also scored once in Spain’s victorious European Championships campaign in Germany two years ago, including in the 2-1 semifinal win against France, a reminder that his value has never been measured only in goals.
That is the friction in his tournament so far. Yamal did not score against Belgium, yet his movement and influence were judged to be decisive enough for the match award. After the final whistle, he said he can still shape a game without scoring because his runs drag defenders away and create room for others. “I know I can contribute even if I don’t score. I know my movements draw in many opponents, so I do everything I can to help the team,” he said.
He also brushed off the idea that his goal total should define him, pointing to the European Championships as proof that a low tally can still end in a title. “There’s an idea that I should be scoring more, like at the Euros, but we won the Euros with me scoring just one goal. And I have one goal here too, so I’m relaxed about it,” he said with a smile. That confidence now feeds into Spain’s next test against France, a match that will come the day before Yamal turns 19.
There was even a lighter moment after the win, when Yamal and his half-brother Keyne shared the celebration on the big screen. The three-year-old screamed, stuck out his tongue and blew a kiss at Yamal, who laughed and waved back. It was a brief family scene inside a bigger one: Spain moving on, Yamal insisting the scoreline matters more than his own statistics, and France waiting next.
