Lamine Yamal reveals what he told Messi after winning the World Cup
- At just 19, Lamine Yamal reflects on his rapid rise, World Cup triumph, conversation with Messi, Ballon d’Or ambitions, and determination to keep enjoying soccer despite growing pressure and expectations
At just 19 years old, Lamine Yamal has already experienced more than most players do in an entire career. His reflections also reveal a level of maturity that, at times, seems remarkable for someone so young who is still finding his way in a world as enormous as professional soccer. On the same day he was due to face England in the Nations League, the Barcelona forward opened up to The Guardian about his outlook on the game and revealed a personal detail: what he told Messi after the 2026 World Cup final, when he became a world champion.
“I thanked him for everything he has given to football. I don’t do things just to look good in a photo, it came from within,” he explained during the extensive interview.
Above all, Yamal simply loves playing. “I don’t play for money, I play because I enjoy it.”
He explained that players who become obsessed with goals or assists lose some of that enjoyment. “I play for fun, to dribble, to play one touch, two touch, to help a teammate who hasn’t scored get a goal. For the happiness, it’s great.”
Winning brings happiness. Lamine has already won plenty, but he also understands that success has another side.
“My family was so happy! The problem is they don’t know what losing is. I go to the Euros and win. I go to the World Cup and win it. It looks easy. I thought: ‘When I don’t win, they’ll think I’m terrible,’” he said in his conversation with the English newspaper.
The winger won the European Championship at 16 and the World Cup at 18. Now, at 19, he could win the Ballon d’Or and become the youngest player ever to claim the award.
“It’s not just this year that I’m at a level where I can win it, it’s been longer than that. Everyone knows it, they know I’m different. I think people will think: ‘Lamine is 19 and he’ll win it at some point, so let’s give it to someone else...’ I just have to win, win and win.”
He added: “I get home and say: ‘I had a great time.’ If every player did that, we would enjoy it much more.”
Being ambitious is hardly a bad thing. Although success has followed him throughout his youth, Yamal does not boast about it.
“I’ll never say: ‘Who are you? I won the World Cup.’ Only stupid people would do that.”
“Only my closest circle knows what I think and what I’m like. People have no idea. I grew up in a neighborhood where the less people know about you, the happier you are and the more peaceful your life is.”
He is a professional soccer player and understands everything that comes with it.
“I’d like to live in peace, a normal life. If I post something, I have to know that I can deal with whatever comes. At first, reading things bothered me because I didn’t understand it. But now it doesn’t affect me anymore.”
Neither does pressure.
“I like going out onto the field when a lot is expected of me.”
Yamal carefully described how he experiences those moments.
“At the World Cup, you could hear it, you could feel it: when I got the ball, they stood up, one after another, all around the stadium. As if they were saying: ‘Let’s see if this kid is as good as they say.’ At Camp Nou, people know I’m going to go for it. That feeling, that expectation, is something you can only experience in sports, being a player like me.”
Barça has given him a great deal in life, perhaps more than many supporters realize.
“It gave me control, understanding, intelligence. In the park there’s no intelligence, you go at the opponent and then you go back. I have that. If I hadn’t come from where I came from and hadn’t been at La Masia, I wouldn’t be who I am.”