Yamal provokes the roosters. It is France who is afraid of us… and we see ourselves as world champions

Spanish star Lamine Yamal has confirmed his absolute confidence in his country’s ability to overcome France’s ban and reach the World Cup finals, stressing that La Roja is not afraid of anyone after winning the European title.

Yamal said at a press conference on Monday night, which coincided with his 19th birthday, that Spain had beaten France in their last two encounters, adding:

The Barcelona player’s comments came in response to repeated questions about his earlier comments after the quarter-final against Belgium, which sparked widespread reaction in the French camp as he revealed he had followed up on comments made by France defender Jules Conde.

Yamal calmly added. “They asked me if I was afraid of France, I answered in the negative. We are European champions. It’s football, as Kunde said, and that’s it,” stressing that he is going to play the “most important match” of his career without any pressure.

Despite scoring just one goal in 6 games in the tournament, the young winger refused to accept his drop in form, saying: “Each tournament is different from the others. I know my abilities and I’m not worried at all. You say I’m not at my best, so don’t expect anything from me, but hopefully tomorrow will be a great day.”

Yamal concluded his statements with a tone of clear challenge. “I can certainly see myself as a world champion. It’s difficult, but we all see ourselves as champions, as we did in 2010. Why not?”

Tonight, the semi-final match between Spain and France begins, in the confrontation that football fans around the world have been waiting for.