Lamine Yamal went almost undetected when he visited a Walmart in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, just outside Spain’s home base in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Perhaps in any other part of the world, the 18-year-old star may have gotten mobbed instead of just a few social media posts that spotted him. That might not last long after his World Cup debut.
Atlanta is about to get quite acquainted with Yamal as Spain opens the city’s World Cup versus Cape Verde on June 15 at noon. Then the Spaniards play at Atlanta Stadium again, facing Saudi Arabia on June 21 at noon before finishing their group matches in Mexico against Uruguay.
Perhaps some may be unfamiliar with his game, like many Fort Oglethorpe Walmart shoppers; here’s a brief synopsis. When he was 15 years old, he was dubbed the “mini Messi.” The tie is deeper than just a nickname, though, as Lionel Messi posed in a photo shoot with him when Yamal was just a baby. Fate would have it that, at 7 years old, Yamal entered FC Barcelona’s youth academy (where Messi played at the time) and made his senior-team debut in 2023 at 15. He earned his first national team camp later that year, becoming the youngest player and goal scorer in Spanish history on his debut.
Spain has only won a single World Cup back in 2010 in South Africa. This time around, the squad is one of the favorites along with France — who won in 2018 — and England. La Roja’s opportunity to return to glory could depend on Yamal and his health.
Yamal sustained a hamstring injury in April while playing for Barcelona, which kept him off the pitch for an extended period. He returned to full national team training Thursday, but his status for the opening match has not been announced. However, the outlook is better than expected as the question of his playing in the group stage at all swirled the soccer world.
In the last La Liga season, when Yamal was named La Liga Player of the Season, he played 45 matches across all competitions, scoring 24 goals and providing 17 assists. The previous season, he appeared in 55 games, and 50 the year before that. Along with international duty, that’s quite the workload, even for fresh teenage legs. Now, he’s had almost two months of rest while recovering.
While Yamal is considered Spain’s best player, it’s not just Yamal who makes this team a strong contender. There are also veterans like Spanish captain Rodri who ground the young team. Rodri won the Ballon d’Or in 2024, the same year he was named MVP of the Euros, where Spain bested England 2-1 for the trophy.
The journey to the ultimate achievement officially begins Monday, when Atlanta gets a chance to see the second-ranked FIFA squad up close. Marking perhaps the last time Yamal can move freely in Georgia.
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