Spain boss Luis de la Fuente admits Lamine Yamal has not yet performed to expectations at this World Cup but is working on keeping a lid on the Barcelona star’s emotions ahead of tonight’s quarter-final clash with Belgium.

Yamal came into the tournament short of full fitness after sustaining a hamstring injury in April and has looked rusty despite Spain’s seamless progression to the last eight.

De la Fuente acknowledges there is more to come from the supremely talented 18-year-old but is eager to not place too much pressure on his young shoulders.

He said: “If you see Lamine’s motivation, it is very dangerous for the opponents, but we must calm him down so that he does not become anxious. The best is yet to come because he has not taken the step of brilliance that we expect. 

“The other day [the win over Portugal] was a scenario where he had to work in defence until he became tired and had to be replaced. It was a great exercise in maturity and we are now waiting for his offensive level.”

Lamine Yamal stats at the 2026 World Cup

Spain focusing solely on Belgium

Spain are overwhelming favourites to beat Belgium and set up a mouthwatering semi-final with France but De la Fuente was quick to outline the risks with looking too far ahead.

He added: ”Only the match against Belgium is in our heads. The fans can talk about it, but as professionals we can’t. Getting to the quarter-finals is not easy at all, at the World Cup no-one gives you anything, everything is achieved based on a lot of work and doing things well, having healthy players, choosing between 26 soccer players… we think about the future although immediacy is what our work shows.”

Spain are expected to field an unchanged line-up but De la Fuente conceded it was not easy to select 11 players from such a talented squad.

“Selecting a line-up is the most difficult job,” he said, “because each game is different and we have players of a very high level. [But] the players do not have the same characteristics and regardless of the level they have it is done by analysing the opponent and from there we select an 11 to play well against the opponent. If a change occurs it is not a punishment for the player who is left out.”