Lamine Yamal boarded the Spanish national men’s soccer team bus outside the Embassy Suites in downtown Chattanooga with a red WWE Universal Championship belt wrapped around his shoulder Wednesday.
After enjoying a celebration dinner at Calliope earlier in the week and another night with his family at Top Golf in East Ridge, Yamal and La Roja were getting back to business as they seek to add a second World Cup championship to the country’s 2010 title. First up is a trip to Mexico and a bid to win Group H as they play their third and final match before the 48-team field is whittled down to 32 for the tournament’s knockout stage.
Spain, first in Group H with four points in the standings, will face Uruguay on Friday night (8 p.m. Eastern on Fox) at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.
Lamal, the 18-year-old wunderkind in his first World Cup, has earned a place in the conversation about the sport’s brighest star right now, a group that includes more experienced players such as Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane. The teenager already has 56 goals and 64 assists in 178 career matches for club and country.
Yamal showcased his generational talent instantly in his first World Cup start as he threw off a defender, Saudi Arabia captain Salem Al-Dawsari, to make a crossing pass that sent the ball inside the box during the opening minute of Spain’s 4-0 victory Sunday at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the 10th minute, Yamal made a masterful off-the-ball run to the back right post, where he slid and finished a beautiful left-footed cross from Mikel Oyarzabal.