Lamine Yamal aims to compete with Kylian Mbappé in the World Cup semi-final

Spanish forward Lamine Yamal and French forward Kylian Mbappé are set to meet in the FIFA World Cup semi-final. Yamal hopes to replicate Mbappé's success by winning the World Cup at a young age, but for this, his Spanish national team must defeat France and their star captain on Tuesday.

Previous achievements of the players

When Mbappé scored a goal in France's victorious match against Croatia in the decisive 2018 tournament game, he was only 19 years and 207 days old. He became only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final after Pelé in 1958. It was then that Mbappé developed an interest in the World Cup, whereas for Yamal, this is his first experience participating in the competition.

Yamal's breakthrough at Euro

Despite the novelty of world-level experience, Yamal has already achieved significant success in a major tournament: his impressive goal in the Euro 2024 semi-final against Mbappé's France helped Spain win 2-1. This moment occurred just four days before he turned 17. His birthday fell the day before the final, where Spain beat England, and Yamal was named the Tournament's Young Player. This time, his 19th birthday falls on the evening of the semi-final in Arlington.

Yamal's condition and motivation

As a young player who still has many great years ahead, he clearly aims to leave a mark on this World Cup. Perhaps he is overly eager, as he previously raised doubts about his participation in the tournament due to a hamstring injury at Barcelona at the end of the national season. In May, Yamal admitted: 'I was afraid it could be serious, and above all, that even if it wasn't serious, I might have bad luck and miss the World Cup.'

After coming on as a substitute in Spain's first match against Cape Verde, which ended in a 0-0 draw, Yamal started against Saudi Arabia and scored a goal, after which he was substituted during halftime in the match that ended 4-0. Since then, he has started in all games, without adding to his single goal—a drought that may be starting to worry him.

Coach's comments and tactics

Spain's captain Rodri stated on Sunday: 'I think Lamine needs to calm the anxiety he sometimes feels because he wants to show how important a player he is to us.' He added that given the maturity he demonstrated at the European Championship, his achievements do not make as strong an impression now that he is two years older.

Since Yamal does not play as decisively, Spain lacks the lethal verticality that made them so difficult to stop at Euro. Meanwhile, France has recovered its sharpness, which it lacked last summer, and currently boasts the most exciting attack in this World Cup.

Mbappé's ambitions and statistics

Mbappé, who is now 27 years old, is the mascot and seems intent on leaving the legacy of a great World Cup player. With eight goals in this tournament alone, he has tied Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race and is just one step away from Messi's all-time World Cup record of 21 goals. Having won the trophy in 2018 and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final, Mbappé is aiming for a third consecutive final. Thus, he could replicate the achievement of the great Brazilian defender Cafu, who participated in three consecutive finals from 1994 to 2002 (Pelé and Diego Maradona participated in only two).

His obvious obsession with the World Cup may explain why he missed a significant part of the second half of the season at Real Madrid. During injury recovery, some fans even questioned his commitment to the club. After beating Sweden in the Round of 32 at MetLife Stadium, the venue for the final, he stated: 'I know people talk about statistics. I watch TV. But my only focus is to help the team and return here on July 19.'

He also added after the victory over Morocco in the quarter-finals: 'I won the World Cup and was a silver medalist. This team achieved neither, but it is a team with the greatest potential.'

Player comparison

Yamal and Mbappé are already icons in their home countries and abroad—two young men representing the modern face of multicultural Europe. Mbappé has more experience, a World Cup winner's medal, and speaks confident public English, which helps make him one of the main figures of this tournament in the United States.

Brilliant Yamal is still catching up to him off the field, but their personal encounters on the pitch remain impressive. They have often met in the context of the El Clásico rivalry over the past two years; so far, Mbappé has suffered eight defeats and secured only two victories in 10 matches against Yamal in club and friendly games.

rtp.ptJuly 4, 20:09

Lamine Yamal's consistency could elevate him to the level of global football legends, according to Tonito

According to Tonito, consistent play will allow Lamine Yamal, the Spanish national team forward and Portugal's opponent in the eighth round of the 2026 World Cup, to reach the level of the greatest football legends.

Lamine Yamal's Achievements

Lamine Yamal, who has been playing for the biathlon club FC Barcelona for three seasons, became the European champion among the national teams of Spain in July 2024, just one day after turning 17. He also placed second in the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting, which was won by Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé. Currently, Yamal is debuting in World Cups, scoring a goal in four matches.

Expert Opinion on Football

Tonito noted that we are at a new stage, and some players are trying to dominate modern football, striving to repeat the feats of two 'gods'. He added that the simultaneous appearance of Messi and Ronaldo was fortunate because they achieved what, in his opinion, no one else can do, although he himself might be mistaken in this assumption.

Tactical Comparisons of Teams

Antonio González, better known as Tonito, emphasized Yamal's influence at 'La Roja' (FC Barcelona), where he was named the best young player of Euro 2024 and was a Nations Cup finalist last year, losing to Portugal on penalties. He analyzed that Portugal will not be able to replicate its former style because Nico Williams is in poor form and may not play. According to his prediction, Spain will likely keep the squad from the last match, and the lack of depth from Alex Baena compared to Nico will result in a team that is strong but less vertical and more associative. However, from Yamal's perspective, they will have guaranteed speed.

Comparison of Team Strength

The former coach, with experience playing for Vitória de Setúbal, Sporting, Santa Clara, Boavista, and União de Leiria, considers Portugal individually stronger than Spain, which is the 2010 World Cup champion and record holder for continental titles (four: 1964, 2008, 2012, and 2024). He is confident that if Portugal can unleash its best potential both individually and collectively, they will advance to the playoffs, as Spain will face one of the strongest teams.

World Cup Performance History

Spain's victory over Austria (3-0) in the 16th round allowed them to advance to the World Cup playoffs for the first time since 2010. Tonito recalled that in 2018, they were eliminated in the eighth round due to penalties against host Russia, and in 2022—against Morocco. In 2014, the team failed to pass the first stage.

He also noted that the moments and squads are different, and one cannot dwell on the past. Portugal has often been unfairly excluded, and this good generation lacks the final step to earn the World Cup star it deserves in recent years.

Spain's Unbeaten Record

Spain has not lost 34 matches in regulation time—25 wins and nine draws. The team has never previously gone five matches without conceding goals in the World Cup and aims to increase the record of 519 minutes unbeaten in tournament history, set by goalkeeper Unai Simón. This record covers two matches from 2022 and four matches from the current year, including the draw with Cabo Verde (0-0) and victories over Saudi Arabia (4-0) and Uruguay (1-0) in Group H, as well as the victory over Austria.

Tonito concluded that it needs to be determined whether this fortress is related to Spain's high defensive strength and balance, or if it depends on the level of the opponents, since they have not yet met such powerful teams as Portugal, which faced Croatia and Colombia.

Recent Results of Portugal

Portugal defeated Croatia (2-1) in the 16th round, scoring the decisive goal in extra time. Before that, the team finished second in Group K, losing to Colombia, with whom they drew (0-0), and also drew with DRC (1-1) and won against Uzbekistan (5-0).