All posts tagged: Lamine Yamal spain

FIFA World Cup 2026 | The baby in the bathtub and the legend: Messi & Yamal’s 19-year journey to World Cup final

FIFA World Cup 2026 | The baby in the bathtub and the legend: Messi & Yamal’s 19-year journey to World Cup final

Published by Webster

2 min readUpdated: Jul 16, 2026 02:08 PM IST The photograph was taken in a Barcelona dressing room in late 2007. A 20-year-old Lionel Messi, with a shy smile and a head of untamed curls, held a six-month-old baby in a blue plastic bathtub. Neither of them knew, in that fleeting moment, that the world would one day look back at the image and see the beginning of something extraordinary. Almost two decades later, that baby, Lamine Yamal, will face Messi in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on Sunday in New Jersey, a generational showdown that feels scripted by football’s gods. Defending champion Argentina secured their place in the title clash with a 2-1 victory over England, setting up a meeting against Spain, the reigning European champions. It will be the first time Messi and Yamal have played against each other, but their story began long before either had kicked a ball on the world’s biggest stage. Spain, meanwhile, thrashed pre-event favourite France 2-0 in the semifinal courtesy of goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and …

The architect of Spain who loves bullfighting

The architect of Spain who loves bullfighting

Published by Webster

Everything is akin to a bullfight to Spain’s manager Luis de la Fuente. He calls himself a taurino — a bullfighting tragic. Every year, he makes it to the annual bullfighting fare in Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, the deathly sport’s cathedral. When he was appointed as La Roja’s manager three years ago, he thought, “well, this is a big bull.” Four years later, a European Championship, and an entry to the World Cup semifinal, Spain’s first since its triumph in 2010, he has been akin to a seasoned matador that grabbed every bull by its horn. Every victory of Spain in the knockout has been like a bullfight without bloodshed. Like the men in spangly suits move, Spain’s men take their combatants around the ring, weaving and spinning away from their rage, tiring them out, weakening them with their aggressive pressing and mixing up of passes, before pinning them to submission. If the 2010 winners were the manifestation of a profound but unsustainable philosophy, de la Fuente’s group is a triumph of tactical …

How Mikel Oyarzabal’s quiet rise complements Lamine Yamal’s brilliance for Spain

How Mikel Oyarzabal’s quiet rise complements Lamine Yamal’s brilliance for Spain

Published by Webster

5 min readKolkataJul 3, 2026 01:10 PM IST There is nothing remarkable about Mikel Oyarzabal. In a Spanish team filled with colourful characters like Marc Cucurella and Lamine Yamal, the Real Sociedad man’s personality does not shout out from the rooftops. Even after scoring a brace against Austria and firmly entrenching himself in the World Cup Golden Boot race, the chatter is still more about Cucurella’s sublime assists than his calm finishes. But that suits the 29-year-old just fine. Because the last time the limelight was on him, he was savaged by critics after Spain’s 0-0 draw vs Cape Verde a couple of weeks ago. Such was his plight in that match that he set an unwanted record as the first player in World Cup history not to touch the ball in the opening 30 minutes. Quiet achiever Oyarzabal, the silent guardian of ‘La Roja’, would likely want to do without that kind of pressure. It’s away from the chaos that comes with fame where he thrives the most. A loyal soldier, he would much …

Cucurella-inspired Spain strike the right chords vs Austria

Cucurella-inspired Spain strike the right chords vs Austria

Published by Webster

6 min readNew YorkJul 3, 2026 06:55 AM IST The hair, Marc Cucurella says, is sacred. But he promises he will go bald if Spain lifts the World Cup. But when the moment arrives, the larrikin in him could deny, “Did I say that really?” He had made the promise before. A Barcelona product, as recently as April, he claimed he would rather chop the locks he had been nourishing for over a decade than join Real Madrid. Come May, he signed a 60-million pound contract to join the Spanish powerhouse. “Hair is not essential to my personality, it is my personality,” he told Spanish outlet Marca. The springy curls, girdled by a hairband that is about to burst, is part of what has made him a cult figure in Spain and England, where he played for five years. The full-back, who assisted two goals and saw a goal he scored chalked off in Spain’s dismembering of Austria, is the European champions’ wind-up merchant. The provocateur, his friends call him. When his goal was ruled …

Never watched football? Start here — A beginner’s guide to FIFA World Cup | Football News

Never watched football? Start here — A beginner’s guide to FIFA World Cup | Football News

Published by Webster

After a wait of four years, it’s here! The FIFA World Cup of 2026 promises to be bigger than ever and a lot messier too as we have witnessed already. It’s the time that football fans briefly change affiliations. Arsenal and Manchester United fans could find themselves uniting in their love for the England national team. Someone sitting in India could find common cause with a Brazilian in the beautiful flair in the way the Brazilian football team plays. But if you have never watched a FIFA World Cup (and are being forced to do so out of peer pressure), worry not. We have you covered. With our beginner’s guide to the FIFA World Cup, here’s how you can sound much savvier about the spectacle. What’s in a name? Since this year’s FIFA World Cup — which will be co-hosted by three nations, the USA, Canada and Mexico — will be played largely in the USA, expect the word soccer to be used liberally since the Americans call it that. They have their own version …

Spain’s coach on Messi vs Yamal comparisons: ‘He is football’ | Football News

Spain’s coach on Messi vs Yamal comparisons: ‘He is football’ | Football News

Published by Webster

3 min readJun 7, 2026 03:58 PM IST Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has hailed Lamine Yamal as one of football’s rarest talents but stopped short of declaring the teenager the successor to Lionel Messi, insisting the Argentine remains a figure beyond comparison. Yamal’s dazzling rise for Spain and Barcelona has inevitably drawn parallels with Messi, particularly after the resurfacing of the famous photograph showing the Argentine bathing a baby Yamal during a charity calendar shoot nearly two decades ago. While De la Fuente believes the 18-year-old belongs in an elite category of players blessed with extraordinary talent, he warned against placing the burden of succeeding Messi on the youngster’s shoulders. A baby Lamine Yamal with his mother and Lionel Messi during a calendar shoot from back when he was six months old; a 16-year-old Yamal celebrates scoring against France in the Euro 2024 semi-final. (AP/Reuters) “Messi: Those are big words. Messi has been, is, and will always be … he is football,” De la Fuente told The Guardian. The Spain coach, however, grouped …

Police investigate Islamophobic chants during Spain-Egypt match | Football News

Police investigate Islamophobic chants during Spain-Egypt match | Football News

Published by Webster

2 min readApr 1, 2026 11:48 PM IST Spanish police launched an investigation on Wednesday into Islamophobic and xenophobic chants during Tuesday’s friendly against Egypt which also drew criticism from players, football officials and the Spanish government. At the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of LaLiga club Espanyol, Spain supporters chanted “who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during the World Cup warm-up match which ended in a goalless draw. Lamine Yamal, Spain’s winger and a Muslim himself, said in a post on Instagram that while he understood that not all fans are like this, the chant was disrespectful and intolerable. “Using religion as a joke in a stadium makes you look ignorant and racist. Football is for enjoying and supporting, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe,” he wrote. Spain’s Justice Minister Felix Bolanos denounced the chants on social media platform X, reiterating the leftist government’s stance against the rise of the far right, which it associates with growing racism and xenophobia. “Racist insults and chants shame us …

Lamine Yamal slams anti-Muslim chants during Spain vs Egypt match: ‘As a Muslim, it remains disrespectful and utterly intolerable’ | Football News

Lamine Yamal slams anti-Muslim chants during Spain vs Egypt match: ‘As a Muslim, it remains disrespectful and utterly intolerable’ | Football News

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Apr 1, 2026 07:37 PM IST Spanish teenager superstar Lamine Yamal, a practising Muslim, slammed Islamophobic and xenophobic chants during Tuesday’s friendly against Egypt in Spain on Tuesday. At the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of LaLiga club Espanyol, Spain supporters chanted “who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during ⁠the ​World Cup warm-up match which ended in a goalless draw. “I am a Muslim—Alhamdulillah,” Yamal’s Instagram post, written in Spanish, started. “Yesterday at the stadium, the chant ‘Whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim’ could be heard. I know it was directed at the opposing team and wasn’t meant as a personal attack against me; however, as a Muslim, it remains disrespectful and utterly intolerable.” Yamal added the use of religion to mock athletes is ignorant. “I understand that not all fans are like this, but to those who chant such things: using a religion as a source of mockery on the pitch only exposes you as ignorant and racist individuals. Football is meant to be enjoyed and to inspire support—not …

Lamine Yamal slams anti-Muslim chants during Spain vs Egypt match: ‘As a Muslim, it remains disrespectful and utterly intolerable’ | Football News

Lamine Yamal slams anti-Muslim chants during Spain vs Egypt match: ‘As a Muslim, it remains disrespectful and utterly intolerable’ | Football News

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Apr 1, 2026 07:37 PM IST Spanish teenager superstar Lamine Yamal, a practising Muslim, slammed Islamophobic and xenophobic chants during Tuesday’s friendly against Egypt in Spain on Tuesday. At the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of LaLiga club Espanyol, Spain supporters chanted “who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during ⁠the ​World Cup warm-up match which ended in a goalless draw. “I am a Muslim—Alhamdulillah,” Yamal’s Instagram post, written in Spanish, started. “Yesterday at the stadium, the chant ‘Whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim’ could be heard. I know it was directed at the opposing team and wasn’t meant as a personal attack against me; however, as a Muslim, it remains disrespectful and utterly intolerable.” Yamal added the use of religion to mock athletes is ignorant. “I understand that not all fans are like this, but to those who chant such things: using a religion as a source of mockery on the pitch only exposes you as ignorant and racist individuals. Football is meant to be enjoyed and to inspire support—not …

Lamine Yamal & his joyous Trivela – combining exuberant Samba notes with dexterous Spanish passing | Football News

Lamine Yamal & his joyous Trivela – combining exuberant Samba notes with dexterous Spanish passing | Football News

Published by Webster

It was the year of Spain in football. The year they were crowned the European Champions; the year the most influential midfielder in the world, Rodri, was deservedly adjudged the best footballer on the planet; and it was also the year the country’s 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal introduced his ridiculous talents to the world. Sadly, an injury ended his year on a sombre note, but not before he had offered to the global audience a peek into his staggering gifts as well as the future of the game. The curlers and benders from his gliding, gilded left foot in the Euros would form the montages of greatest goals scored in the championship. Those were slithering snakes in the skin of silk. He cut in, he spat away, he ripped the ball inside, he fizzed the ball outside. He feigned and floated like a frictionless gnome. As though bored of routine deception, he has been flaunting his latest toy, the trivela, one of the most outrageous tricks in the game. It’s a lobbed, out-swinging cross (often …