In a game many billed as a preview of the Ballon d’Or podium, one 17-year-old stepped up and left no room for debate. Lamine Yamal’s star-turn against France in the UEFA Nations League semifinal not only reinforced his meteoric rise but also set up a tantalizing clash against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the final.
What Yamal said after the match has quickly gone viral—a simple, cold four-word answer that cut through the noise around the Ballon d’Or debate. But more on that later.
Spain’s 5-4 win over France in Stuttgart will be remembered not just for the scoreline—the highest ever in Nations League history—but for Lamine Yamal’s dominance. The teenager scored twice, won a penalty, and completely overshadowed the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Desire Doue, who all looked jaded after Paris Saint-Germain’s recent Champions League triumph.
La Roja were 5-1 up at one point, seemingly cruising, before a late French rally made the scoreline respectable. Mbappe scored from the spot, and goals from Rayan Cherki, an own goal, and Randal Kolo Muani almost saw Didier Deschamps’ side pull off the unthinkable. But the game had already been decided—by the teenager in red and yellow.
What did Lamine Yamal say?
In the media frenzy following the match, one quote stood out above all else. When asked about his Ballon d’Or chances and outshining Dembele, Yamal gave a chilling response: “The best thing is to talk on the pitch. “I always tell my mother, what motivates me and what I get up for in the morning is to play football. Dembele is a great player, but we are in the final”, he added.
But even with those four words—”talk on the pitch”—the message was loud and clear. The Spaniard had done exactly that. It was a performance that felt like the arrival of a new era. While others debated, speculated, or posted celebratory photos from previous triumphs, Yamal let his feet do the talking.
And it wasn’t just the post-match comments. Before the match, he told COPE’s El Partidazo that the Ballon d’Or shouldn’t be decided on one game: “Whether we win or not, I’d vote for the best player of the year. But if people want to risk it all on one game, well… let’s play that game then.” That game was played. And he won.
Dominance at 17
This wasn’t Yamal’s first decisive performance—but it might have been the one that silenced any lingering doubts. From threading a pass for the opening goal to calmly converting a penalty and then adding a poacher’s finish for the fifth, his fingerprints were all over Spain’s performance.
He now has an astonishing 6-0 record against Kylian Mbappe in senior play, a stat that defies belief considering his age.
