Rodri urges Yamal to curb anxiety as Spain face France in World Cup semifinal

Spain captain Rodri has publicly urged Lamine Yamal to rein in his anxiety as the reigning European champions prepare for a World Cup semifinal against France.

Speaking in the mixed zone after Spain’s progression to the last four, the 30-year-old midfielder identified a pattern in the teenager’s play that he believes is holding him back. “I think he needs to calm down a bit, that anxiety that sometimes he has to prove himself,” Rodri said. “He’s a very important player for us because of what he does with and without the ball, and he’s a very intelligent guy. It’s true that he’s 19 years old and that we have to calm him down at certain moments of the game.”

Yamal arrived at the tournament carrying a slight injury and has yet to replicate the form he has shown regularly for Barcelona in La Liga, with questions mounting over his goalscoring output. He has, however, become the youngest European player to win 10 major tournament matches — a milestone that underlines just how central he has become to Spain’s ambitions.

The winger was unapologetic when addressing his critics. “If we win the World Cup, I think nobody will remember how many goals I scored or how many I didn’t,” Yamal said. “I know that with my movement I draw a lot of opponents away; I can create space for a teammate. Anything I can do to help, even if I don’t touch the ball in a play, will be a positive. I think everyone’s obsessed with scoring goals, and we won the European Championship with me scoring a single goal.”

Rodri was careful to frame his comments as encouragement rather than criticism, noting that Yamal’s development since Euro 2024 has been marked. “I think he’s a player who already showed his maturity back in the Euros, and now that he’s two years older, you aren’t quite as surprised by what he can do at his age,” the midfielder added. “He still has room to improve when it comes to reading the game, which is completely normal for his age, but we already know the level he’s at. He’s a young man who listens, who wants to learn, and above all, sets a real example with his attitude.”

With a place in the World Cup final at stake, Yamal has shown no sign of being overawed by the occasion, pointing to Spain’s recent positive record against France as grounds for confidence heading into the semifinal.