Lamine Yamal admitted he has not reached his best physical condition ahead of the match against Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup, while also revealing the obsession that once made him fear missing out on the planet’s biggest football festival.
Ahead of the crucial clash between Spain and Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup, Lamine Yamal left La Roja fans inevitably worried when admitting that he is not fit enough to play the full 90 minutes. The Barcelona star stated that he is still in the recovery process and needs more time to regain his peak condition after a long period of struggling with injuries.
Sharing in an interview with Spanish television, Yamal asserted: “I am ready for whatever the coach asks, but I have not reached my best state to play a full match. I feel very good, but that does not mean I will start. The final decision still belongs to the coach.”
Yamal only played for about 20 minutes in Spain’s opening match at the 2026 World Cup. Although very eager to return to the pitch, Yamal understands that rushing could affect the recovery process. The star born in 2007 emphasized: “I think it is too early to play the full 90 minutes. I still need time to adapt and this is not yet the appropriate time to play the whole match.”
One of Yamal’s most notable disclosures was his fear when suffering an injury in a Barcelona shirt earlier this season. At that time, the World Cup was only a few months away from kicking off, and the first thing that appeared in his mind was the risk of missing out on the most prestigious tournament on the planet, Yamal stated.
“I will be honest. When I got injured, the first thing I thought about was the World Cup. Of course I care about the club, but the World Cup was always on my mind. Fortunately, the doctors reassured me that I would completely recover in time to participate in the tournament.”
Beside the physical fitness story, Yamal also shared about the pressure of becoming one of the faces of the 2026 World Cup. The 18-year-old player’s image appears on many billboards and large buildings in the US, but the young player asserted that he is not affected by external expectations.
The Barcelona star said that the only thing he cares about is helping Spain go deep in the tournament instead of chasing comparisons with other superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, or Lionel Messi. “I don’t think about the fact that Mbappe has already scored two goals and I have to do the same. What I want is to enjoy football and win with the team. I could score a lot of goals, but if the team is eliminated, then it means nothing.”
Yamal also gave high praise to Messi, asserting: “If anyone still doubts that Messi is the greatest player in history, they are just deliberately refusing to recognize it. There is nothing left to argue about. My idol is Neymar because I like the way he plays football, but Messi is the best in history.”
Despite not yet reaching 100% physical fitness, Lamine Yamal is still considered an important card for Spain on their journey to conquer the 2026 World Cup. La Roja fans at this moment are expecting Barcelona’s gem to soon regain his form to become a factor that makes a difference.
