Lamine Yamal admits World Cup fears after injury scare

Spain's young football sensation Lamine Yamal confessed to experiencing significant fear of missing the World Cup following an injury sustained on April 22. The FC Barcelona forward had to leave the field during a match against Celta Vigo, and the subsequent diagnosis initially caused him considerable anxiety.

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I was praying inside that it was nothing, that it was a cramp or anything, because I saw myself very close to the World Cup moment and I knew it was a hamstring injury I had never had before, but that little time was not enough. So I was afraid it was serious and, above all, that it wasn't serious but I could relapse and miss the World Cup.

"I remember the sequence when I got injured. I was praying inside that it was nothing, that it was a cramp or anything, because I saw myself very close to the World Cup moment and I knew it was a hamstring injury I had never had before, but that little time was not enough. So I was afraid it was serious and, above all, that it wasn't serious but I could relapse and miss the World Cup," Yamal said in a video released by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

The injury to his left hamstring caused him to miss the end of the season with Barcelona. However, he has been included in coach Luis de la Fuente's squad for the World Cup, though his participation in the debut match against Cape Verde on June 15 remains uncertain as he is still in the final stages of recovery.

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You're going to play a World Cup and your mind is as if you hadn't played a single game all season. I'm really looking forward to debuting.

Despite the lingering doubts about his fitness for the opening game, Yamal is brimming with ambition. "You're going to play a World Cup and your mind is as if you hadn't played a single game all season. I'm really looking forward to debuting," he stated. He added, "It's finally time. I think since the Eurocopa ended, we all thought this day would come and we are all very excited. We arrive as the team we are, as the European champions, and we will go for it all."

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It's finally time. I think since the Eurocopa ended, we all thought this day would come and we are all very excited. We arrive as the team we are, as the European champions, and we will go for it all.

Yamal also praised his teammates, calling Spain "one of the best selections we've ever had." He specifically mentioned Rodri as a potential Ballon d'Or winner and described Mikel Oyarzabal as one of the best forwards in the tournament. He also highlighted the contributions of Pedri, Marc Cucurella, and the three goalkeepers as reasons for optimism. Yamal admitted to imagining winning the World Cup "a thousand times" since childhood.

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A thousand times, in my room or when we won a game in the park in my neighborhood, that I think the World Cup is the biggest thing in football.