Lamine Yamal has his eyes on "making history" with his nation this weekend. Spain stepped into the final of the Nations League with a thrilling 5-4 triumph over France to go one step closer to holding onto the trophy. But unlike the last time, they have a teenage tormentor on the right wing who has the world at his feet as he headlined with a display to outdo a fellow candidate in the Ballon d'Or battle.
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‘They’re going to make you suffer’
Aged 17, Yamal has taken the sporting world by storm, and he is already in contention for the Ballon d'Or. He laid down the gauntlet to Ousmane Dembele, who has won the treble with Paris Saint-Germain, to take a decisive step in the bid for this individual award with a star solo showing.
The right winger would feed Mikel Oyarzabal in the buildup to the first goal, but his star shone brightest in the second half. First, he drew contact in the box from Adrien Rabiot, the unfortunate victim of his talent in the last meeting of these two teams, and tucked away the first penalty of his career that also made him the youngest scorer in the final four of the Nations League. Then, for the fifth goal, he cleverly toe-poked the ball beyond Mike Maignan to bag a first brace for La Roja.
He won the battle, but Yamal is focused on the war with his teammates in their fight for silverware.
“Like I said before, the most important thing was winning the game with my team and moving on to the final. I am really happy about going to the final and to able to play the game on Sunday.”
Following his second strike, the score was 5-1 in the 67th minute, but the final quarter of an hour highlighted another prodigy in a French shirt. Rayan Cherki came on for Michael Olise in his debut for Les Bleus, leaving his mark on the match. An exceptional half volley was the second goal for the French, then he threaded a through ball for Malo Gusto to force Dani Vivian to turn a cross into his net before picking out Randal Kolo Muani at the back post. An offensive spectacle ended up 5-4.
Cherki and Dembele were not the only ones to watch for the French in this compelling contest. Desire Doue played on the left wing, coming off the back of a 'Man of the Match' performance in the final of the Champions League and Kylian Mbappe led the line, scoring their first goal of the game. Yamal praised the opponents for their array of talent that contributed to great entertainment for the neutral.
Yamal praised the opponents for their array of talent that contributed to a great watch for the neutral.
“When two great teams like Spain and France play, you can sometimes see a lot of goals and be able to enjoy a game. They are really good players. They're going to make you suffer until the very end.”
He accepted that they made mistakes, but the most important matter is having a place in the final.
“What is important is we won it, and we went on to the final despite the small mistakes we made.”
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‘I will do my job’
It has been a sensational stint for Yamal in the national camp over the last 21 months. He has not lost a single competitive clash for Spain, who last lost 1-0 to Colombia in March 2024 in a friendly and last suffered a competitive defeat to Scotland in March the year before. In the time that Luis de la Fuente has been sitting in the dugout, he has won the 2023 Nations League final in a shootout against Croatia before beating England 2-1 in the final of the European Championships last summer.
La Roja had a dynasty that dominated at the turn of the 2010s thanks to a roster with a magnificent midfield. Their technical excellence is still a staple of their style of play but with the dynamic duo on the wings, there are ambitions in the squad to strive for a similarly dynastic legacy with more trophies.
“We were aware of what we want to do. We want to make history, and we want to keep going. When you win, that's the greatest feeling. That's the most difficult thing in football is to keep winning.”
Success breeds happiness and Yamal hopes to see the side continue on a path of togetherness.
“We will try to make the most of this team and we want all the players to enjoy being on the pitch. I hope we can keep moving in the same direction.”
An all-Iberian encounter awaits this weekend. Portugal, who are also going for their second Nations League title after winning it in 2019, turned around a deficit to hosts Germany to get to this stage.
Francisco Conceicao curled the standout goal of the game into the net to level the score. But the matchwinner was the older statesman of the side: Cristiano Ronaldo rolled the ball into the net from close range just five minutes after the equaliser. It was his 137th goal in 220 matches for the Seleção.
Aged 40, his dedication to his craft is undeniable, and he is old enough to be a role model for players like Yamal in their formative years. But the new teenage sensation does not fear his fellow forward.
“He's a football legend. I have huge respect for Cristiano. I will do my job, which is to try to win.”
He spoke more about what it will mean to win this trophy and how he intends to get ready for this game. Yamal has already played one final for Spain while he won the Supercopa da Espana final and Copa del Rey final earlier this year against Real Madrid, scoring once and assisting three times in these three triumphs. He is a young man for massive moments and is looking forward to this one.
“It's a special game. It's a final against a great team and that gives us extra motivation, but it is the kind of game where I want to play to prove who I am. So, yes, it's some maybe some extra motivation to try and get one more title with this national team. And I will really be looking forward to that.”
