Lamine Yamal has struggled for goals at the World Cup despite his stellar reputation but Rodri has come out to bat for the Spanish star ahead of their World Cup semi-final
Spanish great Rodri has told Lamine Yamal to “calm down” as he urged the teenage wonderkid to stop obsessing over the need to prove himself at the World Cup.
Spain arrived as European champions with Yamal their poster boy, but drew their opening game against Cape Verde. Whilst they have grown into the tournament, beating the likes of Portugal and Belgium, the Barcelona youngster has yet to hit top gear.
Yamal is seen as one of the next generation but has managed to score just one goal and has not recorded any assists in six matches. He remains a talismanic figure for Spain, who are eyeing their second World Cup following their 2010 triumph.
Rodri was named the best player at Euro 2024, leading to the Ballon d’Or, and he insists Yamal is still having an impact and it is the squad’s job to remind him of his quality and keep him level before games.
The Manchester City star said: “I think he needs to calm down a bit, that anxiety that sometimes he has to prove himself. 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 has hit back at his critics and maintains he’s more than having an impact on games, even if he’s not scoring, and his lack of goals won’t mean anything if Spain ultimately deliver the big prize.
“If we win the World Cup, I think nobody will remember how many goals I scored or how many I didn’t. If we win, we’ll all be happy, that’s all I want,” said the Barcelona man.
“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,” says Lamine Yamal, via COPE.
At the Euros two years ago France met Spain in the semi-final, where Yamal scored a wonderstrike from distance to level the contest before the Spanish went on to claim victory. The teenager was electric in that tournament as his country went on to claim the trophy.
Last season he enjoyed his best year to date in front of goal as Barcelona retained their La Liga crown. Yamal scored 24 times – six more than the previous campaign.
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