Lamine Yamal has overcome fears of missing Spain's World Cup campaign after a serious hamstring injury in April, with Luis de la Fuente including the Barcelona winger in the 26-player squad and planning to use Lamine Yamal in one of Spain's opening Group H matches against Cape Verde on 15 June or Saudi Arabia on 21 June.
The injury occurred when Lamine Yamal scored from the spot in Barcelona's 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo on 22 April, forcing Lamine Yamal to sit out the final six LaLiga fixtures of a title-winning season and creating concern that the teenager's recovery might not be complete for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Speaking to the Spanish Football Federation, Lamine Yamal explained that the World Cup immediately
came to mind when the hamstring problem struck in April, saying: "I never had a hamstring injury like that, but I knew that it wasn't going to be a short recovery time," Lamine Yamal said. "I was afraid that it was something serious or that it could relapse and that I would miss the World Cup. "
Lamine Yamal also recalled the exact incident that caused the injury and the stress that followed, adding: "I remember the play where I got injured. I was praying inside for it not to be serious, for it to be a cramp or something like that, because I knew the World Cup was very close. "
The concern around Lamine Yamal's availability reflects how important Lamine Yamal became at Euro 2024, where Lamine Yamal turned 17 during the competition, became the youngest scorer in either the European Championship or World Cup, surpassing Pele's record from Brazil versus Wales in the 1958 World Cup, and delivered four assists, the highest total recorded by any player in a single Euros tournament.
Lamine Yamal and Spain World Cup odds and form
Spain enter the World Cup as reigning European champions and tournament favourites according to the Opta supercomputer, which gives Spain a 16% chance of lifting the trophy, ahead of France on 13%, England on 11% and Argentina on 10%, while La Roja also ride a 31-match unbeaten streak in competitive games since losing 2-0 against Scotland in March 2023.
That strong record means expectation is high around Lamine Yamal and Spain, with the team aiming to become the fourth nation to hold the European Championship and World Cup at the same time and the first side to repeat Spain's own 2008-2012 double, and Lamine Yamal reflected that mood by saying: "I think that ever since the European Championship ended, we've all been thinking about this day, and we are all very excited. We will enter the tournament as the European champions, and we are going to give it everything we have. "
Those ambitions will be tested early, with Spain starting Group H against Cape Verde before facing Saudi Arabia and another opponent, and although Lamine Yamal's hamstring problem ruled Lamine Yamal out from late April, De la Fuente expects Lamine Yamal to be fit enough to feature in at least one of those first two fixtures, underlining how central Lamine Yamal is to Spain's plans.
