Lamine Yamal did not participate in Spain’s training session three days before the 2026 World Cup final against Argentina due to an issue with his left thigh.
With just three days remaining before the 2026 World Cup final against Argentina, the Spain team received less-than-positive news as Lamine Yamal had to train separately. The 19-year-old star did not feature in the training session in New Jersey after experiencing an issue with his left thigh muscle during the 2-0 victory over France in the semifinals on July 15.
Yamal was one of Spain’s standout players in the semi-final. Although he did not score as a goal was ruled out for offside, the player on Barcelona’s payroll still brought about the penalty kick that led to Mikel Oyarzabal’s opening goal and continuously troubled defender Lucas Digne. Digne even had to leave the pitch in the 72nd minute after being bypassed by Yamal multiple times.
According to Spanish media, physiotherapists attended to Yamal’s left thigh area immediately after the match. However, the coaching staff decided to let the player undergo recovery training instead of participating in the main session with the entire team.
Images captured by AS newspaper showed Yamal sitting on the sidelines with his left thigh wrapped in bandages. He wore boots but only performed recovery exercises on a mat and used a foam roller to stretch muscles and relieve the overloaded muscle area.
Not only Yamal, but right-back Pedro Porro also trained separately. The player who was recently voted man of the match in the semifinal against France had to receive treatment for muscle fatigue after continuously marking Kylian Mbappe, Bradley Barcola, and Michael Olise, while also frequently pushing forward to support the attack.
Coach Luis de la Fuente’s coaching staff remains optimistic about the availability of both players. The recovery process is being closely monitored, and they are expected to return to normal training soon before Spain enters the final match against Lionel Messi’s Argentina at MetLife Stadium on July 20.
