Spain and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has revealed he feared missing the upcoming World Cup due to the hamstring injury he is currently recovering from.
The 18-year-old sustained the injury on April 22 while scoring a penalty for Barcelona in their match against Celta Vigo.
Speaking to the Spanish football federation’s media outlet, Yamal admitted he was initially worried the setback could be serious, especially with the tournament drawing close.
“Internally, I was praying it was nothing, that it was just cramp or something like that, because the World Cup was very close and I knew that a hamstring injury is never a short-term thing,” he said.
He added that his biggest concern was the possibility of aggravating the injury and ultimately missing the tournament entirely.
“I was afraid it might be serious and, above all, that even if it wasn’t serious, I could suffer a setback and end up missing the World Cup,” Yamal said.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente remains optimistic that the young forward will be fit in time for their opening World Cup fixture against Cape Verde on June 15.
Yamal was part of Spain’s light training session on Sunday before moving to gym work as part of his recovery programme.
Despite the injury scare, the winger expressed excitement about the tournament, describing it as a lifelong dream.
He said the opportunity to feature at the World Cup has kept him motivated during rehabilitation, adding that he is eager to make his debut at the competition.
Yamal, who played a key role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph in Germany, described the World Cup as the biggest stage in football, saying he has “dreamt a thousand times” of lifting the trophy.
If he does not feature in Spain’s opening match, he is expected to be available for subsequent Group H fixtures against Saudi Arabia on June 21 and Uruguay on June 27.