Ibrahimović and Henry explain what makes Lamine Yamal unlike anyone else at the World Cup

Lamine Yamal marked his first World Cup start with a goal inside 10 minutes as Spain dismantled Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Group H on Sunday, prompting two of football’s greatest names to attempt to put into words what separates the Barcelona winger from everyone else on the planet.

Yamal, who turns 19 next month, had come off the bench in Spain’s opening 1-1 draw against Cape Verde on June 15 while managing a hamstring injury. He was again limited to 45 minutes against Saudi Arabia for the same reason — but that half was enough to change the game entirely.

“The difference from the first game and today was, I would say, Yamal because he brings something that I think nobody else has, the creativity,” said Zlatan Ibrahimović after the final whistle. “He only played 45 minutes, but everybody knows that when you play against Spain, you have to watch out; they’re the European champions.”

Thierry Henry, a World Cup winner himself and a former Barcelona player, went further in trying to decode what makes Yamal so difficult to contain.

“The creativity,” Henry said. “He’s the sort of guy that thinks the game. He does things differently. He will attract different people, find different ways with his dribbling, passing and the aura that he has. He knows when to go and when not to go and stop the rhythm of the game sometimes, assisting goals. When you have Lamine Yamal on your team, anything can happen.”

Yamal has been a fixture at Barcelona since making his debut for the club in April 2023 at just 15 years old, having joined La Masia, the club’s renowned youth academy, back in 2014. Over the past four seasons in La Liga, he has helped Barcelona to three league titles, and last season he posted career-high numbers of 16 goals, 11 assists and three penalties converted.

Spain, now 1W-1D-0L in Group H, face Uruguay on June 26 in their final group-stage fixture. Uruguay are yet to win in the tournament, sitting on one draw, meaning Spain will be heavy favourites to seal top spot in the group — and Yamal, fitness permitting, will be central to their ambitions.