Lamine Yamal reveals fear over World Cup participation as tournament looms
The Barcelona winger spoke about his recovery, and being “afraid” of not making the cut.
If you’re not ten-years-old, then the chances are that you’re not scared of the dark. If you are ten, why are you reading this? Go outside and throw kittens into disused quarries or whatever it is that kids do these days.
Now they’re out of the way: adult reader, you’re not scared of the dark because you’ve got the experience of having walked into it and found there’s nothing there. The ten-year-old has not accumulated this experience yet. And the same thing is true with Lamine Yamal.
“I was afraid that it was something serious”
“I remember the play in which I got injured,” Yamal said in an interview with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). It was a penalty against Celta de Vigo at Camp Nou back in April: the winger whipped the ball into the net before being bundled over by Gavi, who stood over him as doctors raced onto the pitch.
¡Ya han llegado todos los convocados hoy y en un rato os enseñamos todos los outfits!
— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) May 30, 2026
De momento, os dejamos este saludito de Lamine Yamal solo para vosotros.
¡Muy atentos a nuestras redes! #VamosEspaña | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/0RZ7hh19v5
“I never had a hamstring injury like that but I knew that it wasn’t going to be a short recovery time,” Yamal said. “I was afraid that it was something serious or that it could relapse and that I would miss the World Cup.”
“I was praying inside for it not to be serious,” he added, “for it to be a cramp or something like that, because I knew the World Cup was very close.”
Spain open their World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on June 15 in Atlanta. They then take on Saudi Arabia on June 21 in Atlanta before finishing off the group stage against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay side on June 26 in Guadalajara, Mexico. It’s hoped that he can be back match fit for either the first or second game of the group stage, with Luis de la Fuente taking a cautious approach regarding his return.
“The moment has finally arrived. I think that ever since the European Championship ended, we’ve all been thinking about this day, and we are all very excited,” Yamal admitted. “We will enter the tournament as the European champions, and we are going to give it everything we have.”
Del polideportivo de Rocafonda a la #CopaMundialFIFA.
— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) May 31, 2026
Descubre al Lamine Yamal más íntimo y personal en su viaje desde Barcelona a Las Rozas.
Su infancia, sus miedos, sueños, ilusiones, familia, recuerdos... de verdad, este reportaje 𝗘𝗦 𝗨𝗡 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧. #VamosEspaña pic.twitter.com/pL0Ep9AwaN
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