It appears that the rivalry between Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé is not limited to the Spanish league with Barcelona and Real Madrid, but has also extended to international competitions with the Spanish and French national teams.
Yamal participated in Spain’s 3-0 victory over Bulgaria on Thursday, in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers.
The Barcelona star assisted Spain’s third goal, bringing his total to nine assists since making his debut with La Roja in September 2023.
Opta indicated that Yamal is the European player with the most assists during this period, surpassed only by Kylian Mbappé with France, who has 11 assists, followed by Bruno Fernandes with Portugal.
Meanwhile, Yamal’s total international contributions at the age of 18 now exceed Vinicius Junior’s total international contributions throughout his career with the Brazilian national team, with 15 contributions in 21 matches, compared to just 13 contributions in 41 matches for the Real Madrid star.
It’s worth noting that Yamal was subjected to heavy criticism in the Bulgaria match by fans who booed him with every touch of the ball. Nevertheless, the Moroccan-born player managed to make his mark and shine.
