Lionel Messi will change into the oldest outfield participant to look in a World Cup closing on Sunday as Spain’s Lamine Yamal seeks to hitch an elite group of teenage winners.
The match on the MetLife Stadium would be the first assembly between Argentina’s Messi and the participant who has succeeded him as Barcelona’s new homegrown idol.
The one participant to look in a closing at an older age than Messi is Dino Zoff, the Italy goalkeeper who was 40 in 1982.
Yamal, in sharp distinction, solely turned 19 final Monday, the day earlier than Spain beat France 2-0 of their semi-final.
All the pieces has occurred at warp pace for Yamal, who made his Barcelona debut on the tender age of 15.
His first cap for Spain got here when he was 16, and he had simply celebrated his seventeenth birthday when he helped La Roja beat England within the Euro 2024 closing — he was named one of the best younger participant at that match.
Yamal was the runner-up to Ousmane Dembele in final yr’s Ballon d’Or and now has the chance to hitch the choose group of gamers to have received the World Cup as a young person.
“He’s a worldwide icon on the age of 19 and has the possibility to do one thing historic, though we shall be doing every thing to cease him,” mentioned Messi on Friday.
Yamal was injured coming into the World Cup and there have been even doubts about whether or not he would take part in any respect after he missed the tip of the season with Barcelona.
“I used to be afraid it could be critical and, above all, that even when it wasn’t critical, I may endure a setback and find yourself lacking the World Cup,” Yamal admitted.
‘Genius’
He was solely used as an alternative in Spain’s opening 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, and was taken off at half-time after scoring within the 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.
He has began each sport since, albeit with out having the devastating affect he would have been hoping for.
Spain have lacked the directness that made them so lethal at Euro 2024 because of this, however Yamal shall be within the line-up towards the holders.
At 19 years and 6 days outdated, he would be the third-youngest participant to characteristic within the closing of a World Cup. Teammate Pau Cubarsi, who’s six months older, isn’t far behind.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente described Yamal throughout this World Cup as a “genius” in the identical bracket as Salvador Dali or Michelangelo.
“They’re completely different. What is phenomenal to us, is not to them,” he mentioned.
Pele and Bergomi
The one gamers to have featured in a World Cup closing at a youthful age are Pele, who was 17 years and 249 days outdated when he scored twice as Brazil beat Sweden in 1958, and Giuseppe Bergomi.
The latter was 18 when he performed as Italy beat West Germany in 1982.
To this point solely eight gamers have received the World Cup as youngsters, whereas Pele and Kylian Mbappe are the one ones to have scored within the closing earlier than turning 20.
Mbappe was 19 when France triumphed in 2018, and his hopes of successful it once more this yr had been extinguished by Yamal and Spain within the semi-finals.
Now Yamal hopes to sprint Messi’s hopes of changing into a world champion for the second time, and in doing so firmly set up himself as the sport’s subsequent true world celebrity.
It’s outstanding that they’re dealing with one another, virtually twenty years after a 20-year-old Messi was photographed giving a five-month-old Yamal a shower in a blue plastic tub as a part of a shoot for a UNICEF calendar.
“That photograph is unimaginable,” Messi mentioned.
“Lamine Yamal versus Leo Messi: that is the long run, towards the previous, the current, the long run and the perpetually,” France nice Thierry Henry, a World Cup winner aged 20, mentioned on Fox.
