The roar began before he had even touched the ball. Thousands of fans in the Atlanta stadium wore his name across their backs; every time his face appeared on the big screen, the noise grew. Lamine Yamal, 18, had transformed the atmosphere simply by being in the starting lineup. Then he transformed the match.
Spain had drawn 0-0 with Cape Verde in their World Cup opener, a performance so flat that manager Luis de la Fuente made four changes: out went Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Gavi and Ferran Torres; in came Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena and, crucially, Yamal. The Barcelona teenager had been limited to 19 minutes against Cape Verde as he managed his recovery from a hamstring injury suffered in April. De la Fuente insisted that was part of a longer-term plan. Against Saudi Arabia, he was ready.
“Lamine Yamal scored his first World Cup goal as Spain thrashed Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Atlanta.”
Inside 10 minutes, the breakthrough arrived. A low cross flashed across goal and Yamal arrived at the back post, sliding in to convert his first World Cup goal. The stadium erupted. Fans danced and chanted his name. Guillem Balague, speaking on 5 Live, said he saw Yamal walking out looking around like he had just conquered the world. "Is it arrogance? Or confidence? A mixture of both," Balague said. "He is the chosen one, he wants to be the chosen one."
Yamal became the seventh player in history to score at a World Cup before turning 19, and only the second aged 18 or younger to open the scoring in a match — the other was a 17-year-old Pelé for Brazil against Wales.
Spain did not stop. Mikel Oyarzabal, the forward England fans reluctantly recognise as the scorer of the winning goal in the Euro 2024 final, ghosted behind the Saudi defence to score twice in three minutes. His brace put the game out of sight. De la Fuente, celebrating his 65th birthday, then substituted both Yamal and Oyarzabal at half-time, mindful of Saturday's Group H closer against Uruguay.
Within four minutes of the restart, it was 4-0. Marc Cucurella's shot was initially saved by goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, only for the ball to cannon back off defender Hassan Al-Tambakti and into the net.
"When he is on the pitch he knows how to create chances, take on defenders and where to get the ball," said former Spain team-mate Cesar Azpilicueta on Match of the Day. "From there, he is growing every single game."
Spain's depth was evident. Arsenal's Mikel Merino threaded passes in midfield, and the substitutes strutted their stuff. With three points secured, Spain turn their attention to Uruguay. Yamal's fitness remains a concern, but if his first start is anything to go by, this could be his World Cup.