Mid-June already feels like a long while ago. That’s when Spain’s World Cup began, in Atlanta. Hours before that kickoff against Cape Verde, the streets around Mercedes-Benz Stadium had turned into a sea of red. Yes, La Roja supporters had arrived early to savour its debut. But as they streamed towards the stadium, one detail became impossible to ignore. That the vast majority of those red shirts, old and new, with different designs, carried the same number and the same name. 19. Lamine Yamal.
Born in Rocafonda, a North African immigrant enclave north of Barcelona, Yamal is only 18, and already the face of Spanish football. Cameras follow him. Fans gravitate towards him. Every conversation, somehow, finds its way back to how well he dances with the ball.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
