Lamine Yamal exploded into view at 16 and became an integral part of Spain's record fourth European Championship triumph in 2024.
Lamine Yamal has spent the last two years treating football's age records like training cones, with the 18-year-old swerving past them with a grin, a drop of the shoulder and that wicked left foot Spain hope will be fully loaded at the World Cup.
The Barcelona winger may be the most exciting player in the most thrilling team heading to the finals but Spain's excitement comes with anxiety after his season was complicated by groin trouble and a serious hamstring injury sustained in April.
Yamal exploded into view at 16 and became an integral part of Spain's record fourth European Championship triumph in 2024.
His curling long-range strike against France made him the youngest scorer in the tournament's history and helped Spain to reach the final, where they beat England in Berlin.
By then, "Lamine Fever" had already taken hold. His father had caused a stir by posting a 2007 photograph of baby Yamal in the arms of Lionel Messi, who was then a 20-year-old Barca forward posing for a charity calendar.
His dad called it "just a life coincidence" on Spanish television. When a reporter suggested Messi may have somehow blessed the baby with his talent, Yamal's mother replied: "What if it was the other way around? Can you imagine if they face each other in a hypothetical final in New Jersey?"
Born in Spain to a Moroccan father and a mother from Equatorial Guinea, Yamal is the latest gem from a country that has become one of European football's richest production lines.
Following Barcelona academy graduates Gavi and Ansu Fati, Yamal quickly became central for club and country.
At Euro 2024, he led Spain in assists, key passes and clear chances created, tormenting defenders down the right with pace, technique and vision. After his semi-final stunner against France, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said: "We have seen genius from a genius."
That triumph sparked a dazzling 2024-25 campaign in which Yamal helped Barca to win a LaLiga-Copa del Rey double and finished second to Paris St Germain's Ousmane Dembele in the Ballon d'Or voting, becoming the youngest player to reach that position.
This season was bumpier but still productive.
Yamal helped Barcelona to retain their LaLiga crown, became the first player to win the league's Player of the Month award three times in one season and finished as the club's top scorer with 16 goals and 11 assists before injury cut him down.
Spain start Group H against Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15 before facing Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. Their fans are holding their breath. If Yamal is fit, so will rival defenders.
Yamal will be wearing the jersey number 19 on his FIFA World Cup debut this year, mirroring Lionel Messi's debut at the grandest stage with Argentina, leaving the number 10 for another star teammate.
According to World Soccer Talk, Yamal has been given the 19 number shirt, the number he wore while rising to stardom in Barcelona, before taking Lionel Messi's number 10 jersey, and the one he has proudly donned during his young international career so far having made debut in 2023.
Since his debut in September 2023, the 18-year-old has preferred this number, playing a crucial role in Spain's Euro 2024 title win and a runners-up finish in the UEFA League with number 19 on his back.
Last week, Spanish head coach Luis de la Fuente unveiled his 26-man team for the World Cup, which for the first time ever had no players from Real Madrid, who had a trophyless season. On Monday, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced the squad's shirt numbers.
Spain's number 10 jersey, which Yamal wore during his past season with Barcelona, will be with teammate Dani Olmo, who has been wearing the jersey since 2024. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the number 10 belonged to Marco Asensio, who has since been dropped from the team.
Spain is in Group H with Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay and will start their campaign in Atlanta against Cape Verde from June 15.
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