Spanish national team player Lamine Yamal said he did not care even though he did not score in the 3-0 victory over Austria in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup at the Los Angeles Stadium, United States.
Yamal, who has already scored one goal in the 2026 World Cup, admitted that the most important thing is victory for his country.
"I'm very happy. The most important thing is that we won and qualified for the next round," said Yamal, who won the best player award despite not scoring a goal or assist, as quoted on the official FIFA website.
Victory over Austria puts Spain into the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup to face Portugal.
Meanwhile, Portugal advanced to the last 16 after defeating Croatia in dramatic fashion thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty (68') and a Goncalo Ramos header (90+4'), to turn things around after falling behind to Ivan Perisic's goal (53').
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"When I was a child, every child who dreamed of becoming a footballer wanted to play for their national team. Now I'm at the World Cup. My focus is on leading Spain to the next level and realizing their dream of becoming world champions," said Yamal, the player who led his country to the 2024 European Championship title.
At the 2026 World Cup, Yamal was a regular starter, starting all three matches. He only missed the start against Cape Verde because he wasn't yet 100 percent fit.
His four appearances for Spain at the 2026 World Cup took him to 29 appearances for his country, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists, since his debut in August 2023 at the age of 16 years, 1 month, and 26 days.
