De la Fuente: Lamine Yamal is a genius, like Dalí or Michelangelo

Luis de la Fuente urged people not to compare Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona or “anyone”, but did compare him to Salvador Dalí and Michelangelo – “geniuses” for whom the exceptional comes naturally.

On the eve of their second World Cup game, against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta, it was put to the Spain coach that Lamine Yamal is confronted by a process similar to those faced by Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona but at the age of 18. His image is everywhere in the United States, a global figure already, and the buildup to the selección’s participation at the tournament has been dominated by his availability after an injury he suffered in April – a teenager cast as their hope and salvation.

“Those are big names,” De la Fuente replied. “The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dali [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.”

De la Fuente added: “We should help him as best we can on this journey: that would be good for Spanish football and the Spanish national team. Those of us who are parents know that you accompany [your children], guide them, but without invading their space. I am a coach but I am also someone who forms people. When you’re so young, when you’re 18, you still need advice. You can’t talk to them like you do to Jesús Navas. He is intelligent and accepts it. He protects himself from the media, as he should.”

De la Fuente also denied that it is a problem for the national team that so much of the spotlight falls on the teenager, eclipsing everything and everyone else. “That’s because the atmosphere inside is very healthy, very natural,” he said. “We know the human qualities of everyone in this group. We are waiting for Lamine because that’s the way it is. He’s important. We celebrated the expectation there is [around him], because he is with us. We understand his role perfectly, and so do his teammates. Day to day, they are all the same, all equal.”

The Spain coach announced that Lamine Yamal was ready to start against Saudi Arabia in their second World Cup game, after a 20-minute substitute appearance in their 0-0 draw against Cape Verde. But he also said he did not expect the winger to play the entire game, floating the idea that he could get “55, 58 or 63 minutes”, depending on how the game evolved.

Asked what “he’s back” meant, De la Fuente replied: “That he is at the point where we have stop him, hold him back; he has to do the things he has to do at this stage in the process. He enjoys playing so much. We see him train and it’s a joy: the way he is, the way he competes, the spirit and sharpness he has. The best news of all is that he is available and in a good moment.”