Lamine Yamals fingerprints are everywhere during World Cup run as Spains 19-year-old phenom

ARLINGTON, Texas — Most 19-year-olds celebrate birthdays with friends, cake and presents.But Spanish superstar Lamine Yamal spent his speaking to hundreds of reporters from all over the world less than 24 hours before the biggest game of his life.“Thank you all for coming to my birthday party,” Yamal said with a smile when he sat down for his prematch press conference Monday.Yamal turned 19 on the eve of Spain’s blockbuster World Cup semifinal against France.

The timing only adds another layer to the remarkable rise of the Barcelona phenom, whose combination of swagger, creativity and fearlessness has drawn inevitable comparisons to Lionel Messi, the player many in Catalonia have long hoped would someday have a successor.Yamal has collected multiple Man of the Match honors during Spain’s march to the semifinals despite producing just one goal and no assists.His fingerprints are everywhere even when they don’t appear on the scoresheet.“I’m not concerned with scoring or not scoring,” Yamal said.

“All tournaments are different.It’s not because of the national team coach or tactics that I haven’t scored.

I’m not concerned because we are winning.Growing up I watched Spain get kicked out of the competition.

I want us to go deep into the tournament.Hopefully tomorrow I can score another goal.”His confidence has become nearly as captivating as his left foot.After Spain eliminated Belgium, Yamal declared France should fear Spain, not the other way around, pointing to Spain’s victories over Les Bleus in the semifinals of the Euros and Nations League, respectively.“They asked me if I feared France and I said no,” Yamal said.

“We are European champions and we don’t fear anyone.”France never took the bait.“We don’t fear anyone either,” midfielder Adrien Rabiot said.Defender Jules Koundé, Yamal’s teammate at Barcelona, dismissed the remarks as competitive confidence.“We never felt a lack of respect from his comments,” Koun...