Luis de la Fuente warns against comparisons between the teenager and Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona
Lamine Yamal is ready to start for Spain at the World Cup and could play for around an hour against Saudi Arabia in their second group game, according to coach Luis de la Fuente.
Spain have been managing Yamal’s return carefully after he arrived at the tournament with some injury troubles. He made a 20-minute appearance as a substitute in the opening 0-0 draw against Cape Verde.
De la Fuente confirmed the forward is available to start against Saudi Arabia but unlikely to complete the full match, saying his playing time will depend on how the game develops.
Spain’s manager also rejected the ubiquitous comparisons between Lamine Yamal and some of football’s greatest players and said they risk placing unnecessary expectations on the teenager. In particular, the youngster was compared to Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
“Those are big names,” De la Fuente said. “The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process.
“He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dali [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different.
“What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.”
The coach also dismissed concerns that the attention surrounding Yamal could become a distraction for the national team.
“The atmosphere inside [the dressing room] is very healthy, very natural,” De la Fuente said. “We know the human qualities of everyone in this group. We are waiting for Lamine because that’s the way it is. He’s important.
“We celebrated the expectation there is [around him], because he is with us. We understand his role perfectly, and so do his teammates. Day to day, they are all the same, all equal.”
