At the 2026 World Cup, young Spanish forward Lamine Yamal delivered a dazzling performance in the match against Saudi Arabia. Just 10 minutes after kickoff, he scored his first goal at a World Cup, giving his team an early lead.
Before the match, Saudi fans taunted Yamal on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia, chanting "Where is Yamal?" — a parody of the viral moment from the 2022 World Cup when a Saudi fan barged into an international broadcast asking "Where is Messi?" after their shock win over Argentina.
Yamal, recovering from a hamstring injury, had come off the bench in the opener against Cape Verde but failed to score. Against Saudi Arabia, he started and quickly answered the taunts with a goal. The strike placed him among players aged 18 or under to open the scoring at a World Cup, alongside the legendary Pelé.
Yamal played until the 64th minute, completing 88% of his passes and taking six shots. Spain won 4-0. After the match, Yamal posted a photo with the short Instagram caption "I'm here," a statement to his 44 million followers and the Saudi supporters.
The son of a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, Yamal is a Muslim. After scoring, he performed a sujoud (prostration) as an expression of faith. He also made his trademark "304" celebration, referencing the postal code of the poor neighborhood where he grew up in Mataró, Catalonia.
The 18-year-old star has frequently spoken out on social issues, including Islamophobia and support for Palestine, drawing both support and criticism. Still, Yamal insists: "I see myself as much better than people think. I know the road ahead is long and there's still much to improve."
