Spain teenager Lamine Yamal says he is unconcerned about his lack of goals at the ongoing FIFA 2026 World Cup, insisting that helping his country win the tournament is far more important than individual statistics.
The 18-year-old Barcelona star made the remarks after Spain’s 2-1 quarter-final victory over Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday, a match in which he once again failed to get on the scoresheet.
While stars such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have dominated the scoring charts, Yamal has scored only once so far at the tournament, in Spain’s 4-0 group-stage win over Saudi Arabia.
Winning the World Cup is the priority
“Obviously I want to score, but I don’t go onto the pitch thinking about that. I do it thinking about helping the team,” Yamal said.
“If we win the World Cup, no one will remember whether I scored goals. The important thing is winning.”
Yamal believes his contribution goes beyond goals, pointing to the attention he attracts from defenders and the space he creates for teammates.
“I know I can contribute even if I don’t score. I know my movements draw in many opponents, so I do everything I can to help the team,” he added.
Relaxed despite goal expectations
The winger was Spain’s breakout star at Euro 2024, where he also scored just once, a spectacular strike in the semi-final against France, before helping his country lift the trophy.
“There’s an idea that I should be scoring more, like at the Euros, but we won the Euros with me scoring just one goal. And I have one goal here too, so I’m relaxed about it,” he said with a smile.
No fear ahead of France showdown
Spain’s victory over Belgium has set up a blockbuster semi-final against France, with Yamal set to turn 19 on the eve of the encounter.
Despite France’s formidable attack, the young forward insisted Spain have nothing to fear.
“There are two possibilities; either they reach three consecutive World Cup finals, or we beat them three times in a row. We’ll see what happens.
“We aren’t afraid at all.”
Spain will hope Yamal can add to his solitary goal when they face the free-scoring French side for a place in the FIFA 2026 World Cup final.
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