Lamine Yamal is preparing for his first appearance at a FIFA World Cup, with the Barcelona winger set to make his tournament debut for Spain. He is regarded as one of the most highly anticipated young players in international football and has spoken about his objectives ahead of the competition.
Yamal will turn 19 during the course of the World Cup. At present, he is dealing with a minor injury concern, which has created uncertainty regarding his availability for Spain’s opening fixture.
In a FIFA interview, Yamal outlined his personal ambitions for the tournament. His comments included reflections on records held by fellow Spain international Gavi, who scored against Costa Rica at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. That goal made Gavi Spain’s youngest World Cup goalscorer and the third-youngest scorer in World Cup history overall, at 18 years and 110 days.
Yamal noted the possibility of moving close to such benchmarks, although he also referenced broader ambitions. Speaking about Gavi’s record in a light-hearted exchange, he said:
“I hope that after winning the Euros, Gavi often jokes that it is the only record I will never take from him. So I have to do something bigger and better than him. That is, to score a hat-trick as the youngest Spanish player in the World Cup.”
He added further remarks on the same theme:
“If I manage to score a second goal in a match, I might celebrate by paying him a bit of tribute. Because he has only scored one World Cup goal. But my main aim will be to score three goals, a hat-trick.”
Spain have previously recorded only two World Cup hat-tricks. Emilio Butragueño scored four goals in a 5–1 victory over Denmark at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, while Míchel scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against South Korea at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Neither player was under the age of 25 at the time of their respective achievements.
Yamal has also spoken about team objectives in addition to individual targets. He expressed his expectation that Spain could compete for the title, stating:
“I hope Spain become world champions this time. For me, that would be like a dream coming true. The referee will blow the final whistle of the final match and we will have won. I do not know by how many goals we will win, but we will be champions. Afterwards, we will return to Spain and celebrate in the streets with thousands of supporters. That would be the most special moment of my life.”
Selected historical World Cup context
| Player | Team | Achievement | Age/Detail | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavi | Spain | Youngest Spain World Cup scorer | 18 years, 110 days | Qatar 2022 |
| Emilio Butragueño | Spain | Four goals vs Denmark | 5–1 win | Mexico 1986 |
| Míchel | Spain | Hat-trick vs South Korea | 3–1 win | Italy 1990 |
Yamal’s participation is being closely followed due to his age profile and early impact at club and international level, with Spain awaiting confirmation of his fitness ahead of their opening match.