> “I hope he’s at his peak, because at the World Cup we want the best players in top form. Even if it’s worse for France, I want to see the best Lamine Yamal there. We know he’s an exceptional player, and he already proved it at the last European Championship, which Spain won, by the way,” he told Marca.
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> “But... you know what amazes me about Lamine? I remember in the semi-final against France, on a counter-attack, already winning 2-1, he had the chance to keep attacking, but no, at 17 years old, he had the intelligence to slow the game down, to control the pace, because that’s what was best for the team. And he told his teammates as much.
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> “He controlled the ball, brought it down, and laid it off to Carvajal. What?! At 17! People focus on his skill and technique, but what amazed me was his intelligence. That kid plays like he’s in his own neighborhood. Time will tell what happens, but he’s shown me he can be the star of any World Cup.”