"I see myself as much better than people see me." That's Lamine Yamal, 18 years old, already a World Cup starter for Spain, telling El País that what you've watched so far is the rough draft.
Coming off a stop-start tournament opener — a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde that had Spain looking flat, Yamal coming on as a late substitute — there's a temptation to wonder whether the injuries that disrupted his buildup have taken some edge off. Yamal's answer is basically: you haven't seen anything yet.
"I know people see me as if this is my level and that's it. But I can use all that confidence I have for many things. I insist: I have a long way to go, a lot to improve. And a lot, a lot, a lot of football," he said.
Spain need him firing against Saudi Arabia
That last part matters more than the motivational-quote framing suggests. Spain's opening result leaves them needing a win against Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and they almost certainly need Yamal starting and sharp — not introduced in the 70th minute as a consolation gesture. A team built around his creativity in tight spaces looks considerably blunter without him in rhythm.
From a betting standpoint, Spain's odds to progress are probably still comfortable, but the route gets bumpier if they drop points here. Saudi Arabia aren't pushover opposition at this level, and a second stalemate would genuinely scramble the group.
Street football, Messi, and the problem with modern academies
The interview had other interesting moments. Yamal traced his style back to street football, contrasting it with how most young players come up now — joining academies at four, being told exactly where to pass and when, long before they've learned to feel the game.
"The problem I see with the players coming up now is that they join a football team at four years old, and on the team, they tell you: 'Okay, the full-back has to control the ball and pass it to the winger; the winger has to control it and pass it to the midfielder,'" he said. The implied point is that instinct gets coached out of players before it even develops.
On Messi — now 40, still playing at the elite level — Yamal was blunt: "Impossible. For me, Messi's the best and he keeps proving it. He has an advantage over everyone." He doesn't expect to match that longevity, and there's something refreshingly honest about a teenager not pretending otherwise.
Fame arrived at 13. Shopping trips and cinema visits vanished shortly after. That's the life he's living while most people his age are still figuring out their A-levels.
Whether the best really is yet to come depends on Sunday. Spain need more than a promise — they need the version of Yamal he says exists.
