… Given Lionel Messi is now 39 and Lamine Yamal just 19, it is testament to the former’s relentless perseverance and the latter’s precocious talent that a match featuring both can take place at all, never mind in the sport’s greatest fixture. …
… Lamine Yamal thought he had added a third goal three minutes later, but his effort was ruled out after the assistant referee raised the flag for offside. …
… Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the first half after a lapse by France left-back Lucas Digne, who gave forward Lamine Yamal an unceremonious wallop as he tried to clear the ball. …
… Even teenage sensation, Lamine Yamal, still regaining sharpness after a hamstring injury in April, has shown that short bursts of his invention are enough to disrupt defences and create space for teammates. …
… t… Age gives you maturity and experience. “I’m thankful even for the attacks I receive, turning 40 — and I hope to live another 40 years with the criticism, that’s how you grow the most as a person, and I thank you journalists for that.” He was asked about Spain star Lamine Yamal …
… Costa then produced a double save to deny Spanish duo Lamine Yamal and Alex Baena in quick succession as La Roja probed for an opener, but it was Portugal who went closest next. …
… On Spain’s end, none of Lamine Yamal, Porro, Dani Olmo or Aymeric Laporte trained fully on Friday, but none is said to be carrying a serious issue. …
Lamine Yamal believes he and Kylian Mbappe are the two best players in the world and said he deserves the 2026 Ballon d'Or after winning La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain. Mbappe has also made his case for the award, and Harry Kane is among other favourites.
Lamine Yamal believes he and Kylian Mbappe are the two best players in the world and said he deserves the 2026 Ballon d'Or after winning La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain. Mbappe has also made his case for the award, and Harry Kane is among other favourites.
Barcelona defeated Levante 4–2 to maintain their perfect La Liga start and move three points clear at the top. Yamal scored twice, including a penalty, as Barcelona survived a late comeback attempt.
Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall has signed a two-year contract extension running until 2031. The 22-year-old, who joined from Chelsea in 2023 and has made 106 appearances, said extending his stay at his boyhood club is a "really proud moment."
Anthony Gordon has provided four assists in his first five matches for Barcelona since joining in May, slotting seamlessly into the left-wing position previously filled by Marcus Rashford, though the 25-year-old England winger has yet to score a goal.
Thierry Henry has backed Kylian Mbappé to win the Ballon d'Or over Harry Kane, citing Mbappé's 25 goals in LaLiga and 15 in the Champions League last season. He also named Bayern Munich's Michael Olise as a strong candidate, ahead of Kane despite Kane's 36 Bundesliga goals.
Barcelona defeated Feyenoord in the Champions League with Raphinha scoring twice to extend his tally to eight goals in the campaign. Gabriel Jesus also scored his first Barcelona goal late in the game as Barcelona added a fourth through Lamine Yamal's free-kick.
Senegal forward Sadio Mane and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi are among 30 nominees for the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or. Mane was named Player of the Tournament at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and helped Al Nassr win the league title, while Hakimi has impressed at Paris Saint-Germain and could become the first Moroccan to win the award.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe believes this could be a good year for him to win the Ballon d'Or for the first time, citing his record 22 World Cup goals and his move to the club he describes as "the best in the world."
Barcelona defeated bottom-placed Valencia 5-0 at Mestalla, with Fermin Lopez starring and Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Pedri also scoring. The win moves Barcelona three points clear at the top of La Liga after Real Madrid's loss to Real Betis.
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal each scored twice as Barcelona defeated Rayo Vallecano 5-2 at Camp Nou, maintaining their perfect start to the season and topping the LaLiga table.
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal both scored twice as Barcelona defeated Rayo Vallecano 5-2 to extend their winning streak to three La Liga games. Raphinha became the first player to score five goals in the opening three La Liga matches of a season since Lionel Messi in 2017, while 19-year-old Yamal surpassed 50 goals for the club.
Barcelona won 2–0 at home against Athletic Club with goals from Raphinha and Fermin Lopez, extending their unbeaten La Liga start. Rodri made his debut for Barcelona as a second-half substitute following his £65m transfer from Manchester City.
Anthony Gordon made two assists in five minutes after coming on as a substitute in Barcelona's 5-0 La Liga victory over Elche, beginning the reigning champions' title defence with a win.
Barcelona has obtained approval from Rodri to open contract negotiations with Manchester City, joining Real Madrid's long-standing interest in the 30-year-old midfielder, who is in the final year of his deal at City and currently recovering from back surgery.
Ugandan dance group Ghetto Kids appeared at the football World Cup final half-time show alongside Burna Boy and Shakira, performing in the game between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The young dancers, who come from humble beginnings in Kampala, described the experience as life-changing.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, with Ferran Torres scoring in extra time. Spain's second men's World Cup title was widely praised as a fitting reward for their technically superior performance, in which they dominated possession at 65 per cent and registered 20 shots including 11 on target.
During the World Cup in the US, former England captain David Beckham has dominated off-the-pitch marketing, fronting advertising campaigns for 11 brands including McDonald's, Major League Soccer, and Bank of America. Marketing experts attribute his prominence to his broad appeal across demographics and his authentic, down-to-earth persona that translates across football, fashion, entertainment, and business.
Lamine Yamal helped Spain win the 2026 World Cup, defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final. At 19, he became the youngest player ever to win both the European Championship and the World Cup. His three-year-old brother Keyne drew significant attention on social media for his joyful celebrations during the match.
Spain teenager Lamine Yamal, 19 years and six days, has won both the World Cup and Euros, making him the youngest player to achieve the double. The article compares his symbolic embrace with Lionel Messi at the World Cup final to a passing of the torch, noting Yamal recovered from a hamstring injury to play a key role in Spain's tournament run.
Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal will meet on the pitch for the first time when Argentina play Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, though the two crossed paths in 2007 when Messi was a 20-year-old Barcelona starter and Yamal was just five months old — a meeting documented in photographs that resurfaced after Yamal helped Spain win Euro 2024.
Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, who will face each other in Sunday's World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, first met in 2007 when Messi held a five-month-old Yamal in a photograph taken at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium after his family won a competition to visit the away dressing room.
Spain advanced to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final with a 2-0 semi-final victory over France, with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal's first-half penalty and Pedro Porro's second-half strike securing the win on Tuesday night.
Spain defeated France in the semi-final with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro, advancing to the World Cup final on Sunday. The Spanish side controlled the match with disciplined defending and will face the winner of Saturday's other semi-final.
France and Spain meet in a World Cup semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with France led by Kylian Mbappé (eight goals in six games) and Spain relying on possession-based football under Luis de la Fuente.
Spain face Belgium in a World Cup quarter-final with Spain unbeaten in 35 matches under manager Luis de la Fuente, while Belgium advance after a 4-1 victory over the United States.
Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will be his final tournament, as the 41-year-old prepares for Portugal's round of 16 clash against Spain. Ronaldo has played in six World Cups and became the first player to score in six editions of the tournament.
Mikel Merino scored an injury-time winner for Spain as they knocked Portugal out of the World Cup in Dallas, ending Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career. Spain will face either the United States or Belgium in the quarter-final.
Portugal and Spain meet in the World Cup 2026 last 16 at AT&T Stadium on Monday. Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 in their opening knockout game to reach this stage for the first time in 60 years, while Spain won 3-0 against Austria and remain unbeaten with no goals conceded.
Spain won a men's World Cup knockout match for the first time in 16 years, defeating Austria 3-0 in Los Angeles to reach the last 16. Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal (twice) and Pedro Porro secured Spain's comfortable victory.
The 18-year-old Lamine Yamal started Spain's match against Saudi Arabia after being limited to 19 minutes in their previous goalless draw with Cape Verde, and was central to Spain's dominant 4-0 performance. His impact lifted the atmosphere and transformed the first half with confident play that impressed former team-mate Cesar Azpilicueta.