Lamine Yamal says Portugal were among the World Cup's three best teams
After Spain beat Belgium, Lamine Yamal praised Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo. Why the Spanish starlet's words hit home with Portuguese fans.
The team that knocked Portugal out has not forgotten Portugal. With Spain safely through to the semi-finals, Lamine Yamal offered the compliment that raced around Portuguese newsrooms in minutes: in his view, Portugal were one of the three best teams at this World Cup.
What did Yamal say about Portugal?
That the Portuguese side ranked among the tournament’s three best — his own words, repeated across interviews after Spain had booked their semi-final spot against Belgium. Yamal also had warm words for Cristiano Ronaldo, the opponent he grew up watching and finally faced in Dallas, at what the Portuguese captain had already announced would be his final World Cup.
Why does the praise carry weight?
Because it comes from the man whose team made the exit sting. It was Yamal’s Spain that ended Portugal’s run in the last 16 with a stoppage-time goal — and it is always easier to hear this from an opponent who moved on than to say it to the mirror. At 18, turning 19 during the tournament, the Barcelona winger already talks like a veteran: with the calm of someone who suspects this World Cup may end up his.
Small consolation for Portuguese fans? Perhaps. But in football, as in life, some defeats taste different once the executioner tips his hat. The full tournament picture lives on FIFA’s official site.
By Vasco Almada
Image: Biso / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
