DUBAI: As Spain’s teammates and substitutes celebrated wildly at the final whistle, Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana fell to his knees and raised his hands in prayer. And no wonder the 19-year-old Muslim player gave thanks toward the heavens. He had just achieved what no player has ever before, becoming a world and European champion before turning 20.
Today, thanks to those two international titles in 2024 and 2026, Yamal has now jumped the queue to arguably stand as the world’s biggest football star, and already one of its most successful ever at international level.
When France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, many of us confidently predicted that Kylian Mbappe was on the threshold of becoming the world’s next greatest active footballer. But we had reckoned without the astonishing longevity and continued excellence of Lionel Messi and his rival for that title, Cristiano Ronaldo. At 31 and 33 respectively, neither was prepared to walk off into the sunset just yet.
In fact, four years later in Qatar, as we still awaited Mbappe’s coronation, Messi pulled off his greatest achievement by leading Argentina to that coveted world title that confirmed him as football’s undisputed greatest of all time, the GOAT in modern sporting parlance.
Eight years on, having been joined by Norwegian phenomenon Erling Haaland and despite extraordinary goal-scoring feats, we were still waiting.
After Argentina’s loss in Sunday’s World Cup final, it is almost inconceivable that Messi and Ronaldo, who earlier exited the tournament with Portugal also at the hands of Spain, will, or even can, prolong their international careers any longer into their 40s. Immortality is now Yamal’s for the taking.
In many ways, World Cup 2026 and all-time top scorer Mbappe and Haaland had better individual performances at the tournament than Spain’s No. 19. Going into the competition, the young Barcelona star seemed a shoo-in for at least the Best Young Player award, but that was won by his remarkable 19-year-old teammate Pau Cubarsi. And even the individual glory in a mostly forgettable final went to the much-criticized Ferran Torres, who now joins Andres Iniesta as the two men whose goals won the World Cup for Spain. Yamal’s World Cup, despite obvious moments of genius, was good without being spectacular.
However, as the world wakes up to continuing Spanish celebrations, it is still his name that’s the talk of social media. His pre-tournament dream to meet Messi in the final, bolstered in recent days by the widespread sharing of that prophetic photo of him as a 5-month-old being bathed by the then 20-year-old Argentine, ensured the old master and heir apparent would be the story of the final.
Messi was 34 when he won his first continental title — the 2021 Copa America — and 35 when he won the World Cup in Qatar. Yamal has completed the UEFA European Championship and World Cup double only days after his 19th birthday. So where does he go from here?
His career trajectory suggests the sky is the limit, having already domestically claimed three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and a Supercopa de Espana. He also finished runner-up behind Ousmane Dembele in the 2025 Ballon d’Or, a stunning achievement, among many other individual awards at youth and senior level.
He has already crammed in three years what most players can only dream of in a career, but it must be concerning to rival clubs and players that he seems to be just starting. A UEFA Champions League triumph with Barcelona would almost certainly lead to a Ballon d’Or and further claims to being the world’s best player.
Equally important to his accomplishments on the pitch is the inspiration he provides to millions off it. Yamal is hugely popular globally, particularly in this part of the world, where he is admired for his open embrace of his Islamic faith, and following Barcelona’s recent La Liga win, he garnered much love and respect for waving a Palestine flag at the celebratory title bus parade.
And then there’s his almost fatherly relationship with his 3-year-old brother Keyne, who melted hearts on television and social media during the World Cup with his on-camera antics and celebrations.
It will be some time before Keyne follows in his brother’s footsteps, if at all, but it will be intriguing if any precocious teenagers in world football can emerge to rival Yamal in the way that Messi and Ronaldo did each other for almost two decades.
No obvious candidates stand out currently, so the burden remains on the supremely gifted Mbappe and Haaland to make it a three-way battle for the title of the world’s next best player, though it is hoped that Arab talent such as Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza and Egypt’s Haissem Hassan can develop into global talents worthy of being included in future conversations.
But this is Yamal’s time, and just like his hero Messi, it could stretch out for the next 20 years. Let’s hope Keyne will be along for the ride.
