Yamal admits World Cup fear after hamstring injury: 'I was praying it was nothing serious'

Lamine Yamal has revealed the private anxiety he felt after sustaining a hamstring injury against Espanyol in April, admitting he feared the damage could be serious enough to rule him out of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Speaking to Marca from the Spain training camp, the 18-year-old Barcelona winger described the moment he went down. “I was praying internally that it was nothing serious, just a cramp or something, because I was so close to the World Cup and I knew it was a hamstring injury, something I’d never had before, but it wasn’t a small thing. So I was afraid it was serious, and especially afraid that it wasn’t serious but that I could relapse and miss the World Cup.”

Yamal is expected to miss Spain’s opening group fixture against Cape Verde. Manager Luis de la Fuente has indicated that players not ready for the first game would be fit for the second, against Saudi Arabia, though there has been some suggestion Yamal could miss that match too.

Despite the frustration of sitting out the early stages of the tournament, Yamal acknowledged that the enforced rest may carry an unexpected benefit. “It’s also true that it helps to be playing in a World Cup, so your mind is as if you haven’t played a single game all season and I’m really looking forward to making my debut,” he said.

The teenager, widely regarded as the face of Spain’s World Cup campaign, also addressed the weight of expectation that surrounds him at every major tournament. “It suits me better, maybe more or less, but it suits me better. In the end, when your standards are higher, you raise your level. So I like it this way, I see it as a challenge and I really enjoy it.”

Reflecting on the speed of his rise, Yamal added: “In my mind it’s like I’ve been playing football for 10 years, but in reality it’s only been 3, and 4 years ago I was playing with them at the sports centre. So a kid who was playing with you 3 years ago is now going to play in a World Cup. It has to be crazy, really crazy.”

Yamal is not Spain’s only fitness concern heading into the tournament. Nico Williams is also recovering from injury after a season disrupted by fitness problems, while Mikel Merino is returning from a lengthy absence, though he has been passed fit.