Lamine Yamal aims to steal Kylian Mbappe’s World Cup thunder in semi-final showdown

Lamine Yamal is hoping to emulate Kylian Mbappé by winning the World Cup as a teenager, but first, his Spain side will have to get the better of France and their superstar captain in Tuesday’s semi-final.

When Mbappé scored in France’s win over Croatia in the deciding match of the 2018 tournament, he was just 19 years and 207 days old. He greenhouse became only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final, following a 17-year-old Pelé in 1958. Mbappé’s love affair with the World Cup began then, whereas this is Yamal’s first experience of the competition.

He has already had his big breakthrough in a major tournament, however — Yamal’s stunning goal in the Euro 2024 semi-final against Mbappé’s France helped guide Spain to a 2-1 victory. That moment came just four days before he turned 17. His birthday fell the day before the final, where Spain beat England and Yamal was named the Young Player of the Tournament. This time around, his 19th birthday falls on the eve of the semi-final in Arlington.

As a young player with his best years still ahead of him, he is clearly eager to leave a firm mark on this World Cup. Perhaps he is too eager, having at one point been a doubt for the tournament after missing the end of the domestic season with Barcelona due to a hamstring injury.

“I was afraid it might be serious and, above all, that even if it wasn’t serious, I could suffer a setback and end up missing the World Cup,” Yamal admitted in late May.

After coming off the bench in Spain’s opening 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, Yamal started against Saudi Arabia and scored before being replaced at halftime in a 4-0 victory. He has started every game since without adding to that solitary goal — a drought that might be getting to him.

“I think Lamine needs to calm the anxiety he sometimes has because he wants to show how important a player he is for us,” Spain captain Rodri said on Sunday. “Given he was able to show that level of maturity at that European Championship, now that he is two years older, you are not as easily impressed by what he is able to do.”

With Yamal not playing quite as decisively, Spain have lacked the deadly verticality that made them so hard to stop at the Euros. France, meanwhile, have rediscovered the cutting edge that evaded them last summer and currently boast the most thrilling attack at this World Cup.

Mbappé, now 27, is the talisman and seems intent on leaving a legacy as an all-time World Cup great. With eight goals in this tournament alone, he is level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race and sits just one behind the Argentine’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 has a third straight final in his sights. He could therefore match the achievement of the great Brazilian fullback Cafu, who played in three consecutive finals from 1994 to 2002 (Pelé and Diego Maradona each only graced two).

His apparent obsession with the World Cup may explain why he missed a significant chunk of the second half of the season with Real Madrid. As he nursed injuries, some supporters even questioned his commitment to the club.

“I know people talk about the stats. I watch TV too. But my only focus is on helping the team and getting us back here on July 19,” he said after beating Sweden in the round of 32 at MetLife Stadium, the venue for the final.

“I have won a World Cup and been a runner-up. This team has done neither of those things, but it is the team with the greatest potential,” he added after defeating Morocco in the quarter-finals.

Yamal and Mbappé are already icons in their home countries and beyond — two young men representing the modern face of multicultural Europe. Mbappé has the greater experience, a World Cup winner’s medal, and speaks confidently in public English, factors that help make him one of the primary faces of this tournament in the United States.

The dazzling Yamal is still catching up off the field, but his head-to-head record against Mbappé on the pitch remains impressive. They have met frequently across the Clásico divide over the last two years; so far, Mbappé has endured eight defeats and secured just two wins in 10 games against Yamal across club and country fixtures.