When asked if Spain would win the World Cup, Lamine Yamal simply smiled and said “yes”.

His words to American broadcaster CBS in the build-up would have come as a surprise to no-one who has seen the confident teenager become one of the best players on the planet.

For many though, for his prediction to come true, Lamine Yamal was going to have to set the tournament alight in his first ever World Cup.

So far, that has just not happened.

The 19-year-old has scored one goal and has not made an assist, but his country have cruised into the final anyway and will face Argentina on Sunday.

While the likes of fellow superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland have had starring roles, Lamine Yamal’s World Cup has been surprisingly understated.

But could this be his moment?

Lamine Yamal’s stats for Spain are incredible. He has yet to lose for his country in the 27 competitive matches he has played. He has started 12 games at major tournaments for Spain and won all of them, the longest 100%-win rate of any European player across major tournaments when starting.

If he scores in New York on Sunday he will become just the third teenager to find the net in a World Cup final, after Pele in 1950 and Mbappe in 2018.

Win the tournament and he becomes just the fourth teenager to ever start a World Cup final and win the trophy, after Pele, Mbappe and Italy’s Giuseppe Bergomi in 1982. Nineteen-year-old team-mate Pau Cubarsi could become the fifth.

“No-one will care whether Lamine has scored lots of goals and created lots of goals,” said one Spain fan. “If he wins the World Cup with Spain, he will be a legend forever.

“If we lose to Argentina, no-one will remember his first World Cup. We know he will have lots of other World Cups and we believe he will become the greatest.

“But not many teenagers get the chance to win a World Cup. This is his chance. He will have regrets if we lose and he hasn’t been able to play his best.”

It’s been 22 years since Todd Hamilton claimed the Open Championship at Royal Troon to become the 2004 Champion Golfer of the Year, but the 60-year-old still remembers just about every detail of his week in Scotland.

On this week’s episode of Subpar, Hamilton — who says he doesn’t play much golf anymore in his home of Norman, Okla., and instead spends his time helping out his local high school golf team — reminisced with hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz about the definitive achievement of his professional career.

Hamilton said that even he was surprised by the caliber of his play at Royal Troon, and gave plenty of credit to his Sonartec hybrid, a club he wielded with masterful precision throughout the week, even on short shots around the green. On the final hole of his aggregate four-hole playoff against Ernie Els, Hamilton stroked his hybrid to three feet, setting up a magnificent up and down — and ultimately, the win.

“I did not use that shot, growing up as a kid,” Hamilton said. “I probably started using it early in 2004. I was never a big fan of 3-woods, and that Sonartec you just referenced was actually my 3-wood. It was a 17-degree club that one of the manufacturers bent down to 14 degrees, so I used that as my 3-wood.

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“Technically it was a hybrid, but it wasn’t a hybrid the way you would think that they’re used these days,” he continued. “Again, I didn’t start using that shot until early in the year, and it’s not really a shot that works real well over here in the States because the grass is kind of thatchy and grainy, but the ground over there, as you know, Colt, the ground’s very firm, grass is cut down pretty tight. It’s basically a slower putting green.”

Hamilton said he practiced playing bump-and-runs with the Sonartec every day at Royal Troon that week.

“It was a shot I kind of relied on a lot,” he said. “I don’t know how many times I used it during the week. I’m going to guess about 12 to 14 times that I used it as a chip-slash-putt, and I think only one time did I not get up and down with it, and that was because I missed about a 5- or 6-foot putt, and that was in the final round on the 10th hole, so obviously it was a shot that served me well.

“Used the club a lot off the tee,” Hamilton continued. “But, more or less, it was a shot that, around the greens, really helped me achieve what I went over there to achieve, and that was to win the Open Championship.”

For more from Hamilton, including the specific swing thought that helped him at Royal Troon in 2004, check out the full episode of Subpar below.

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An astrologer named Christina has predicted Argentina to come out on top in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, claiming Lionel Messi and the reigning world champions appear to be “empowered by the transits” ahead of their blockbuster showdown with Spain.

Argentina and Spain will go head-to-head at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday July 19 in one of the most anticipated FIFA World Cup finals in recent memory. Ahead of the clash, CBS Sports Golazo invited astrologer Christina to analyze the astrological charts of both teams and predict the outcome of the match.

Discussing Lionel Messi who has everyone’s attention following his spectacular displays in the competition so far, she said:

“I think that Messi’s transit looks like he’s driven… driven, driven, driven.”

Christina then turned her attention to Spain, explaining why she believes La Roja’s astrological profile reflects the identity they have shown throughout the tournament.

“Spain is interesting because Virgo, they have four planets in Virgo and Virgo is a hardworking, organized, sort of hyper-functional sign that likes to excel through, I would say, regular hard work. This is a very hardworking team, this is a team that loves to stay grounded, have a plan.”

The astrologer went on to point out the similarities between the two finalists before revealing which side she believes has the edge.

“What’s also interesting about Argentina is that it is also a Sagittarius rising just like Spain. They both have their nodes of fate in Scorpio and in Taurus and so they have the same type of fated energies, fascinatingly enough. We can see how they both got pulled into this special moment right now.”

When asked to predict the winner, she said:

“It’s a really difficult question to answer but I do think that Argentina really look empowered by the transits right now.”

The last time Argentina and Spain faced each other in the FIFA World Cup dates back to 1966 when they clashed in the group stage in England. The Albiceleste came out on top with a 2-1 victory from the encounter. It remains to be seen what the outcome will be this time.

Argentina chase back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles against Spain

Argentina head into the FIFA World Cup final aiming to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the men’s World Cup title. All eyes will be on Lionel Messi to finish the job after inspiring his nation to another final on the world’s biggest stage.

Meanwhile, Spain have also proven to be a huge force to be reckoned with in the tournament this year. Spearheaded by 19-year-old Lamine Yamal in attack, the reigning European champions are seeking their first FIFA World Cup crown since lifting the trophy in South Africa back in 2010.

Regardless of the outcome, Sunday’s final promises to pit two of the tournament’s most in-form sides against each other in what is expected to be a memorable conclusion to the competition. Will the Albiceleste finally claim their fourth World Cup trophy or will Spain get their second? Only time will tell.