Lamine Yamal on Messi, Álvarez, and when we'll see his best

He admits he's not particularly fond of interviews, but he appears smiling, polite, and engaged, accepting it as part of his job. Lamine Yamal is Spain's big star and one of the brightest talents at the World Cup. Before yesterday's training session, now in Los Angeles, he spoke with "Mundo Deportivo" in one of the VIP lounges at the LA Galaxy stadium. Yamal arrived in the USA without match rhythm due to injury, but assures he is "very excited and eager" to face Belgium and everything that lies ahead. Spain is already in the World Cup quarterfinals, and he feels increasingly better, though he admits he's missing a strong performance in the tournament. Nevertheless, he warns that the best is yet to come.

Speaking with your teammates, they always highlight your maturity. How do you work on that to reach such a level at just 18 years old?

- I think everything I've experienced, both in football and in life, makes you mature and grow. Also, my teammates who help me every day, conversations with older and more experienced people... All of this has helped me.

It's openly discussed that Spain's performance at this World Cup largely depends on Lamine Yamal. Even the other day, Rodri said: "We hope Lamine shows he's one of the best on important days." Your captain is passing you the ball, even off the field. From what I see, this is a responsibility you enjoy.

- Yes. Ultimately, I see it as something I can enjoy more. It's good that people believe in you and trust you. I take it as something pleasant, not as pressure, and that makes me very happy.

However, there's a flip side to this. The other day we spoke with Gavi: it feels like there are people just waiting for you to make a mistake.

- I think there are two sides: the people who believe in you and count on you, and those who are waiting for you to fail so they can criticize you. The important thing is to stay calm and follow the path we're on, which is to win, win, and win again. In the end, what people say doesn't matter.

I take criticism as a positive thing. On days when you play well, everyone has to shut up.

Is criticism a stimulus for you?

- Yes. I take it as a positive thing. There are days when you say to yourself: "Damn, I don't understand why they're telling me this." But on days when you play well, everyone has to shut up.

Has there been any criticism that particularly affected you?

- No, honestly, no. In the end, when you win, everything hurts less.

You've always said you're your own biggest critic. Are you meeting the expectations you had for yourself for this World Cup?

- I think I can be better. I'm very demanding of myself. What I'm doing isn't enough for me. I've never told myself, "okay, that's enough." Even at Barça, I haven't reached my goal, so I haven't now either.

What do you think you're missing? Perhaps that big Lamine match at this World Cup.

- Besides that, to keep playing. I was out for almost two months, and it's not the same as when you've already played seven consecutive matches. I need to keep playing with the ball, accumulate minutes, and, of course, that match will come.

What stage of recovery are you in? The decisive phase is approaching, you're three matches away from the goal.

- Yes. Ultimately, people remember these moments, from the round of 16 and quarterfinals onwards. That's when I'm most motivated. I went through this whole process calmly to be able to reach this moment in good form. I feel very good, with a huge desire to show what we are capable of as Spain and what I am capable of.

The coach always says you need to control your impatience. What does he mean by that?

- Both the coach and you think the same. After the match against Saudi Arabia, people thought I was angry because I hadn't scored. I always tell my friends that I've never left the field angry about not scoring. My goal isn't to score, because any player can score. I wanted more. I wanted to raise my level of play, to be more decisive. It wasn't about the goal. Maybe people notice that I attempt many attacks because I want to score, but that's not the case. I just play that way. I've always been like that. People who watch all my matches at Barça know that I do sixty one-on-one duels. I think that's part of the impatience the coach is talking about.

The other day, De la Fuente also spoke very highly of you after the match against Portugal, highlighting how you troubled Nuno Mendes and your defensive work.

- It was very important, especially in the match against Portugal. They had a very important player both in attack and defense, one of the most important in their team. I tried to help the team as much as possible, both offensively and defensively.

How did the victory against Portugal affect the team?

- A lot. It gives us great confidence. For me, Portugal was one of the three best teams at the World Cup, and the fact that we managed to eliminate them gives us a lot of confidence for the match against Belgium.

We know that every match is very different and that at a World Cup, the strengths are very evenly matched.

- I am always very demanding of myself.

I've never told myself, "okay, that's enough." Neither at Barça nor now.

Will we see the best of you now?

- Yes, I think so. The closer the important matches get, the semifinals or the final, the better level I show. I've never been a player who is at his best in the group stage. I'm calm about that. I know I have the ability to prove myself, and I hope we have a great team performance against Belgium.

If you overcome Belgium, you could face France or Morocco. Two special opponents for you.

- Yes. We have good memories of France, and for me, it would be very special to play against Morocco. The good thing is that both teams are big and at a high level. Whoever we get, we will try to win and reach the final.

Belgium's most decisive player is in goal. You know what it's like to score against Courtois.

- Yes. For me, he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. That will make things more difficult for me, but as always, I will go out with the desire to win, without thinking about a specific player.

At this World Cup, you're on the same media level as Messi, Neymar, or Cristiano. What do you think of Messi's World Cup?

- Incredible. Everyone knows who Messi is, but no one expected the high level he's showing. I'm very happy for him. I'm also happy for Neymar and Cristiano. They marked the childhood of all of us who play now. All the good things that happen to them will be good for me too. Of course, if I reach the final, I want to win it.

There's a lot of talk in Barcelona about Julián Álvarez. What do you think of him as a potential signing for Barça?

- Everyone knows he's a top player, one of those everyone wants to have. I already said it: our doors are wide open, and if he comes, we'll all be very happy. I think he's a player who fits Barça's style very well. I have no idea what the situation is, but I hope it happens.