Lamine Yamal has revealed that Barcelona team-mate Gavi has been poking fun at him ahead of World Cup 2026 with Spain.
The two players are in Luis de la Fuente’s squad for the tournament along with club-mates Pedri, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia and Joan Garcia.
Gavi remains Spain’s youngest ever World Cup goalscorer, a record that Yamal can’t beat. However, the teenager says he has another plan to get the better of his good friend Gavi.
“Since the EURO, Gavi’s been joking that
it’s the one record I can’t take off him. I’ll just have to go one better – become the youngest Spaniard to get a hat-trick at the World Cup. If I hit a second, I might give Gavi a little nod, because he’s only got one. But I’ll be going for all three,” he told Fifa’s official website.
Spain are one of the favorites heading into the tournament but Yamal says he’s not feeling the pressure.
“It’s funny, because at the EURO it was the other way round. Nobody really had us down as champions, and that worked for us. Being the favourites doesn’t mean anything once you’re on the pitch,” he added.
“It doesn’t give you an edge or help you score more goals. You still have to take it match by match. There are a lot of strong teams – Argentina, France, Portugal, England – and everyone is at their best at the World Cup. For us, it’s about giving everything for Spain and trusting the way we play because, in my book, we play the best football.”
Spain kick off their tournament on June 15th against Cape Verde in Atlanta.
