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The young star says: If I were Alvarez, I would choose to move to Barcelona, which is the best in the world
Spain star Lamine Yamal confirmed that he does not regret the decision to represent El Matador at the expense of Morocco, stating that he would do the same if he returned in time.
Yamal holds dual Moroccan and Spanish citizenship, but chose to play with the European national team badge in a decision that caused much controversy in 2023.
Yamal shone for the Spanish national team and led them to the 2024 European Cup of Nations title, while competing in their second major tournament, the ongoing 2026 World Cup.
Yamal returned to speak about his earlier decision to represent Spain instead of Morocco, recalling the abusive chants that accompanied Egypt’s friendly match.
Yamal said: In a lengthy interview with Spanish Radio Cadena Ser During the program “El Larguero” “There were chants against Muslims, and I think they upset everyone, whether a Senegalese, a Moroccan or a Spanish Muslim. But I don’t regret my choice at all and if I could go back in time I would choose Spain again. I don’t like generalizations because those chants don’t represent the whole Spanish people.”
Yamal’s comments come ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 clash with Austria tomorrow, Thursday, with Morocco progressing to the last 16 after defeating the Netherlands to book a date with Canada.
It is possible that Yamal will play for Spain against Morocco if both teams qualify for the semi-finals.
Surprises of the World Cup
Yamal said he is living the dream of participating in the World Cup, explaining: “I can’t complain because being here is a dream for me. I’m enjoying every moment and I’m looking forward to the knockout rounds. For me, the group stage is just a stage to go through, especially the qualifying stage with a lot of third-place finishers, but now the real tournament has started.”
“I expected Morocco to beat the Netherlands and I even bet on it with my friends and expected a draw, then Morocco qualified on penalties. As for the surprise in Paraguay, that was the biggest one for me, and I also believed that my Brazil was better than Japan.”
He noted that Morocco was one of the teams he enjoyed the most at the tournament, along with Ivory Coast and Ecuador. He also confirmed his admiration for Japan, while explaining that his followers of Argentina are mainly due to the presence of Messi. He also said that France has an outstanding group of players.
“I have become more mature”
Yamal said about his personal development. “I hope to be more mature. When you interviewed me two years ago, I was sixteen, and it’s natural for me to change. Life in the locker room is different. Most of the players have families, children and stable lives.”
Speaking about his family, he added: “At night I feel nostalgic and see pictures of my mother taking me to training, my father and my friends on the train. I miss my family, my father, grandmother and cousin, they all helped me a lot to get to where I am today. I have to give everything I have now.”
Dealing with fame
Yamal revealed that he always tries to take it easy with the attention of the public, especially children, explaining: “Sometimes it happens with the same people, so I ask them to leave me some time to spend with my brother, but I understand them because they are children.”
Despite the stardom he experienced at the age of eighteen, he stressed that the pressures from his parents were much greater, and said: “My mother gave birth to me when she was sixteen, and my father worked as hard as he could to provide us with food. As for me, I’m just trying to please the Spanish fans. I’m not complaining, because both lives are beautiful.”
⭐🇪🇸 Served by Lamine Yamal @manucarreno: From Chattanooga!
⚠️ "I would pay a LOT of MONEY to walk out of the stadium without anyone recognizing me."
📻 Full interview in the program #WorldCarousel!#World Cup 2026 #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/35IXAPVbbb
— El Larguero (@ellarguero) June 30, 2026
The secret to her glow
Yamal explained that enjoying football is the secret of his level, adding: “There are players who need intense concentration, but I have to be happy, smile and play freely, and that’s how I perform at my best level. I treated the group stage matches as a recovery phase, but now I will give my 100% and fight for every ball.”
Evaluating Spain’s game
The “Barcelona” star admitted that the Spanish national team has not performed at the best level so far and said: “Everyone expected a better game from us, but we met completely different teams from European teams. The Saudi Arabia game was good and the game against Cape Verde was our first, but the third game was very difficult because of the many stoppages.”
“We will prove that we are the best team that plays football. We haven’t played a perfect match yet and even against Uruguay we could have won 3-0. We want to get the ball speed back and get back to our normal style. We are the only team that is always asked to win and do great, and for other teams, just winning is enough.
Warning from Austria
Regarding the confrontation with Austria, Yamal said: “Like other teams, they stand out with physicality, aerial balls, free kicks and throws. They won’t play us in an open style, so you have to be careful. If we are more aggressive than them, we will win because when we have the ball, we are the best.”
He emphasized that playing against Austria would be a failure, saying: “Yes, it would be a failure for me and everyone else, and anyone who says otherwise is not telling the truth.”
Title path
He admitted that he saw the course of the tournament and added: “I’m happy about that because whoever wants to win the World Cup has to beat the best teams. I don’t care about the easy way out if you meet a team in the finals that has knocked them all out.
Messi and Ronaldo
“Lionel Messi, of course everyone knows who he is, but he still surprises me. I also liked Vinicius Junior as well as Sibari.”
“I don’t see myself making it. I haven’t calculated it, but maybe time won’t give me the chance because what Messi and Ronaldo have done is exceptional,” he added, laughing when asked if he was capable of seeing what Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo achieved.
A message to the masses
Yamal sent a message to Spanish fans saying: “I’m a very honest person, and if I thought we were going out, I wouldn’t say otherwise. We have the ability to play much better. I ask the fans to trust us because we will win on Thursday and fight in all the upcoming matches.”
About Nico Williams
He also spoke with a sense of humor about his teammate Neko Williams, saying: “He’s passed the developmental stage and he’s aged (laughs). He’ll be 24, but he’s getting more mature.”
His letter to Julian Alvarez
Yamal concluded his speech by referring to the future of Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez, whose name was linked with a move to Barcelona in the summer transfer market.
“I’m not thinking too much about the transfer market right now, but I hope he joins because he’s a great player. If he comes, we will welcome him with open arms because he will be joining the best club in the world, the best fans in the world and the best city in the world for me. If I were her, I would make the same decision. We are waiting for him if he wants to come.”
