In Nuno Mendes, Portugal have an antidote to neutralise Spain’s Lamine Yamal
5 min readJul 5, 2026 08:13 PM IST Most teams go into a match against Spain with a sense of foreboding and a crucial question – how best to contain Lamine Yamal? Portugal arrive with answers. At the 2006 World Cup, England rushed Wayne Rooney back from injury. They felt that their golden generation needed the impetus of a brash red-faced Evertonian, destined for greatness, to come and breathe fire into their campaign. That World Cup ended with a wink from Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney’s fire consuming himself, and England’s generation of heralded Premier League talent being shown their place in the world order by Portugal in the quarterfinal. Spain, resolute in their belief in their collectivism, arrive in New Jersey 20 years later in somewhat similar circumstances. They are armed with Pedri, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz – a holy trinity of controllers, who rarely allow others to dictate how a game plays out. They’re good enough for Spain coach Luis de la Fuente to swipe aside any pretense of humility when he admitted that Spain …
