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- Spain's Lamine Yamal Unlikely to Play the Full 90 Minutes Against Saudi Arabia at the FIFA World Cup 2026
Spain's Lamine Yamal Unlikely to Play the Full 90 Minutes Against Saudi Arabia at the FIFA World Cup 2026
Spain's rising star opened up about his recovery from injury and his role at the World Cup. How much action will he see against Saudi Arabia — and will he also be ready to face Uruguay?
Lamine Yamal, Spain's star forward, described the idea of playing a full match against Saudi Arabia on Sunday as “unnecessary” as he continues his recovery from the muscle injury he suffered on April 22. The teenager made his return with a 20-minute cameo in Spain's FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Cape Verde.
HIS WORDS
“I'm feeling good, I'm in good shape, but it's still too soon. It's unnecessary. I'm still going through an adaptation process, so this isn't the time to play a full match. But I can play however many minutes the coach wants me to,” he said in an interview with TVE.
A CHALLENGING WORLD CUP DEBUT
Yamal made his first appearance since April 22 in Spain's scoreless draw with Cape Verde on Monday, ending a spell on the sidelines after a muscle injury that had put his World Cup participation in doubt.
“Whenever you pick up an injury at the end of the season, the World Cup is on your mind. You think about your club as well, but the World Cup is always there in your thoughts. Thank God the doctors told me I'd have plenty of time to recover, and here I am, happy to be here,” he added.
