Young Spanish star Lamine Yamal was named man of the match after leading his national side, La Roja, past Belgium 2-1 to secure a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup. Yamal delivered an exceptional performance on the pitch, earning the highest rating on the WhoScored network at 7.26, cementing his status as one of the most prominent pillars of the Spanish squad and the most influential player at the current World Cup.
During the intense clash against Belgium, Yamal's individual statistics reflected a clear attacking impact: he struck the ball 6 times towards goal, including 2 shots on target, completed 4 successful dribbles, and won 4 fouls in favour of his team after facing tight defensive marking, while his total touches reached 80 — reflecting his clear dominance over the flow of play in the attacking line.
Yamal's brilliance was not confined to this match alone, but extended to a staggering statistical haul throughout the current World Cup campaign. The young Spaniard continues to break personal and global records, with data pointing to a remarkable upward trajectory in his dribbling output: he closed the 2024/25 season with 263 successful dribbles, only to surpass that figure in the 2025/26 season by recording 264 successful dribbles.
On the all-time World Cup record books, Yamal has drawn agonisingly close to breaking the global record for the most successful dribbles by a young player in a single World Cup edition. He has raised his tally at the current tournament to 21 successful dribbles, officially surpassing German star Jamal Musiala, who recorded 19 dribbles at the 2022 World Cup, and now stands just 1 dribble away from equalling the all-time record held by French star Kylian Mbappé, who registered 22 successful dribbles at the 2018 World Cup in Russia — lending a historic dimension to the upcoming semi-final encounter that will pit Yamal and Mbappé face to face.