Luis de la Fuente Praises Lamine Yamal After Spain Win: ‘He Never Ceases to Amaze Us’
Lamine Yamal once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the brightest stars in world football as Spain continued their impressive UEFA Nations League campaign with a 3-1 victory over Czechia.
The Barcelona forward opened the scoring inside the first six minutes at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere, setting the tone for another dominant performance from the world champions.
Rodri doubled Spain’s advantage in the 29th minute before Czechia pulled one back after the break. Mikel Merino eventually restored Spain’s two-goal cushion late in the match, securing another comfortable victory.
For Yamal, however, the evening provided another opportunity to strengthen his growing reputation on the international stage.
De la Fuente Cannot Stop Praising Yamal
Speaking after the match, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente once again expressed his admiration for the Barcelona superstar.
“He never ceases to amaze us all. He has so much talent and quality that we haven’t seen the best of Lamine yet. He’s growing by leaps and bounds, and we’re thrilled about it. We’re very happy with him,” De la Fuente said, via Cadena SER.
The Spain boss has consistently backed Yamal's development and believes the teenager still has another level to reach despite already performing at an elite level.
His latest comments underline just how highly the Spanish setup values the Barcelona forward.
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De la Fuente Backs Yamal for the Ballon d’Or
De la Fuente also addressed Yamal's chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.
With Yamal competing alongside stars such as Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and his Spain teammate Rodri, the Barcelona forward has emerged as one of the leading candidates.
The Spain coach was particularly emphatic when discussing Yamal's standing among the nominees.
“If he were the only Spanish player nominated for the Ballon d’Or, I’d say yes, he is the best,” De la Fuente added.
Yamal's recent numbers provide plenty of support for the praise.
The Barcelona attacker has scored four goals and registered an assist across Spain's last three matches, continuing a remarkable run of form for both club and country.
At Barcelona, he has also established himself as one of La Liga's most creative players, currently leading the league in chances created.
Yamal’s Next Challenge Is Croatia
With the international break approaching its conclusion, Yamal still has one more potential appearance for Spain.
La Roja will face Croatia on October 6, giving De la Fuente another decision to make regarding his star forward.
Considering the demanding schedule and Yamal's importance to Barcelona, Spain could opt to manage his minutes carefully.
He could potentially begin on the bench or feature for only part of the match, similar to his early withdrawal against Czechia.
With Barcelona's campaign continuing after the international break, avoiding an unnecessary injury will be just as important as maintaining Yamal's extraordinary form.
For now, though, the 19-year-old continues to give Spain and Barcelona plenty of reasons to believe that his best football may still be ahead of him.