Robert Lewandowski Explains Why Lamine Yamal Did Not Perform His Best With Spain

Former Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has explained wherefore Lamine Yamal was incapable to nutrient his implicit champion signifier during Spain's triumph astatine the 2026 World Cup. The teenage prodigy entered the tourney pursuing a lengthy wounded layoff, but the Polish seasoned praised his erstwhile team-mate's important publication to La Roja's victory.

Injury Hinders Teenage Prodigy

Yamal entered the 2026 World Cup aft recovering from a hamstring wounded that sidelined him during the closing stages of Barcelona's La Liga campaign. Manager Luis de la Fuente managed his workload by limiting his minutes successful the opening matches, though the 19-year-old inactive made 8 appearances crossed the tournament. He scored 1 extremity successful 616 minutes and completed a tournament-high 35 dribbles, helping Spain flooded Portugal, France, and yet Argentina successful the final.

Lewandowski Analyzes Yamal's Form

Former Barcelona team-mate Lewandowski explained wherefore Yamal was incapable to scope his highest signifier successful the United States. When asked if supporters had seen the young winger astatine his implicit champion during the tournament, the seasoned Polish striker told ESPN: "Honestly, no, we didn't [see his champion this tournament]. The champion performance, the champion Lamine for me, of course, wasn't the past season, but 2 seasons ago, that was for maine present the champion mentation of Lamine Yamal. 

"He's inactive young, helium came to the World Cup aft wounded and helium didn't play for similar 8 weeks truthful it's pugnacious if you don't play 8 weeks and you person to commencement playing successful the World Cup, past you don't person clip for the grooming conscionable from crippled to game. But helium showed truly bully quality. The Spain players and the squad helped Lamine and Lamine besides helped the full team. I deliberation that this practice was perfect."

Barcelona Connection Drives Support

Lewandowski, whose Poland broadside failed to suffice for the tournament, admitted helium cheered connected Spain successful the last against Argentina owed to his adjacent enslaved with his erstwhile Camp Nou colleagues.

Explaining wherefore helium backed La Roja implicit Lionel Messi's Albiceleste, the striker revealed: "I cognize a batch of players from Spain and I spent truthful overmuch clip successful Barcelona with them, truthful I supported them a lot.

"Of course, I cognize from Argentina personally lone Leo, but I cognize that helium won the past World Cup. That's wherefore I enactment the Spanish nationalist squad due to the fact that if you play with them, you walk a batch of clip unneurotic past it's easier to enactment this team.

"I was blessed due to the fact that I cognize they were acceptable to triumph the World Cup. They are precise young and the aboriginal is successful beforehand of them."

New Challenges Lie Ahead

Following planetary work and a summertime break, Yamal volition absorption connected regaining highest carnal information up of the caller run with Barcelona. Meanwhile, Lewandowski has embarked connected a caller section successful MLS with Chicago Fire, making his debut against Inter Miami CF and outlining his ambition to present contiguous occurrence for his caller club: "I'm acceptable to bash this and effort to assistance my team-mates and caller nine instrumentality the adjacent step, and besides to triumph immoderate titles."