SPAIN: Spain has called up Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal to the national team, making him the youngest player to ever represent the nation. Yamal, who will be 16 years and 57 days old when Spain plays Georgia in a European Championship qualifying match on September 8, will break the record set by his teammate Gavi, who made his La Roja debut in 2021.
Born in Spain, Yamal is qualified to represent Morocco and Equatorial Guinea due to his parentage. He has represented Spain at various levels, but Morocco has been attempting to change his allegiance.
Yamal agreed to commit his future to Spain after meeting with representatives from the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, said Yamal knew he wanted to join the team due to his previous experience with youth teams.
Yamal debuted in Barça at the age of 15 earlier this year and he has appeared in all three La Liga games this season, starting the past two. The decision to bring a player is based on their level of play rather than age.
Coach Xavi Hernandez stated that Barca had “big expectations” for the teenager after he was voted player of the match in last weekend’s 4-3 victory at Villarreal, where he assisted on two goals.
Abel Ruiz and Kepa Arrizabalaga, both on loan from Real Madrid, have returned to the squad. Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena is expected to make his international debut. Jordi Alba, who guided Spain to victory in the UEFA Nations League, has withdrawn from international football.
Spain, which lost to Scotland in their final qualifying match and now has three points from their first two games, faces Cyrpus in Granada after the Georgia game in Tbilisi. To advance to the quarterfinals, Spain needs two victories.
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