00:00He was photographed with Messi as a baby and now he's wearing Messi's jersey number at the club
00:05he made his name at. Meet the teenage phenom who could own the next decade of soccer.
00:17Lamin Yamal of Spain, 18-year-old boy wonder, right winger from FC Barcelona. Now this could
00:26be Messi's last World Cup so if Lamin Yamal is healthy in the knockout rounds we just might
00:32see the passing of the torch. And here's a full circle moment on this kid's greatness
00:37and expectations. In 2007, as a six-month-old baby, he appeared in a UNICEF photo alongside
00:44of young Lionel Messi. Fast forward to the start of 2025-2026 season, FC Barcelona announced
00:52Yamal would wear the iconic number 10 jersey which Messi had also worn during his tenure
00:58at the club. The football gods have spoken and Yamal is the second coming of Messi. His father
01:05is from Morocco and his mother is from Equatorial Guinea. Yamal is the living embodiment of the
01:12diverse multicultural identity of modern soccer. His kid is 18 years old and his overall stats
01:20this season are enough for a top five ranking in FIFA. 24 goals and 17 assists total in 47 games
01:28from Barcelona before a hamstring injury ended his club campaign early. In La Liga alone, 16 goals and 11
01:37assists in 28 appearances with an average match rating of 8.33 out of 10. That's not a kid playing
01:44soccer,
01:44that's a problem. Most vets dream of an average match rating of 7. This kid at 8.33 has become
01:53a pitch
01:54nightmare. Now it feels weird saying that a teenager needs no introduction to the world stage. He's won
02:03his first league championship during his breakout debut season at just 15 years old and during the Euros in
02:10in 2024, he became the youngest player and goal scorer in European championship history, breaking records
02:17previously held by the likes of, you know, a guy named Pele. He also won that Euros when Spain claimed
02:25the
02:25title in Germany in 2024 and he did all this before his 17th birthday. La Liga champ? Check. European champ?
02:34Check. This World Cup is just the next chapter. But how much will we see of Bassoon face of football
02:41in
02:42his World Cup debut? He's coming into the tournament nursing a hamstring injury that shut down his season
02:48early. As of now, he's expected to miss Spain's opening group match against Cape Verde and he's doubtful
02:55for their second fixture against Saudi Arabia. But they do think that he'll be back later in the group stage
03:01action or at least at the start of the knockout rounds. So I assume Spain will manage his minutes
03:07early. But if this kid is 100% going into the knockout rounds, it's lights out. Spain plays its group
03:14stage
03:15matches in Atlanta and Guadalajara, Mexico. Betting markets play Spain at the top tier favorites to hoist
03:22the trophy. But the semifinals and finals are at MetLife Stadium. Yamal and Spain might have to take down
03:30the defending champs Argentina and Messi to lift the cup. They say grind until your idols become your rivals.
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