Soccer legend Carli Lloyd didn’t shy away from offering her honest criticism of Spain star Lamine Yamal, calling him “average” after his team’s dominant World Cup run.
On Sunday, Spain defeated Lionel Messi and Argentina 1-0 to claim this year’s trophy. While Messi was held scoreless, so was Yamal, who had several big opportunities to score a goal for his side, including a free kick near the end of regulation time in the match.
After an individual on X alerted Lloyd to the 19-year-old Yamal having won his first-ever World Cup, Lloyd suggested that didn’t change her opinion of his performance at this year’s event.
“And? Doesn’t mean he individually had a good tournament,” Lloyd wrote in her X reply.
That prompted another X commenter to suggest to Lloyd that she needed to put her phone down and stop commenting about Yamal, but the United States Women’s National Team champion doubled down.
Read more: Lamine Yamal Achieves Historic Feat With Spain World Cup Win
“Nah I will keep doing what I want since this is my phone and platform. Exactly, 19 years old and still has a long way to go. A lot can happen and play a role in someone’s career. We will all see how it plays out,” she wrote in her follow-up message.
“The expectation of him this WC was to ball out. He came in injured..ok… but he was average. He played a role in helping Spain win. He did not play well in the final. The star of Spain is the team. That’s why they won,” Lloyd wrote.
Lloyd, a two-time World Cup champion with the USWNT, probably doesn’t seem all that off-base with her opinion, as Yamal’s overall performance seemed underwhelming to most viewers. He scored just once all tournament, achieving his first-ever World Cup goal 10 minutes into Spain’s 4-0 Group Stage win over Saudi Arabia.
Afterward, Yamal was often under the spotlight as many attempted to crown him the successor to stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom may have played their final World Cup in 2026.
Commentators and analysts often mentioned him as the star to watch during the various games Spain played, but then he failed to deliver, as far as highlight goals or assists.
Meanwhile, Yamal’s teammate Mikel Oyarzabal scored the most goals for Spain during this run to lift the trophy. Oyarzabal, sidelined during the 2022 World Cup as he recovered from a torn ACL, recorded five goals in his 2026 debut, including an early penalty in his team’s 2-0 victory over France in the semifinals.
And Ferran Torres scored the team’s game-winning goal 106 minutes into their huge win over Argentina. It was Torres’ first of the tournament and came at the ideal time for his team.
While Spain was talented overall as a team, Yamal was still a standout attacker during the World Cup Final, as he had the most shots of any the team’s players. He also won the most tackles and had the most dribbles, per NBC Sports.
And as Lloyd mentioned, there is much more left for Lamine Yamal. By comparison, France’s Kylian Mbappe just played in his third World Cup and set a new record after scoring his 22nd goal across those appearances. With Yamal likely returning in 2030 and thereafter, it seems there is plenty of time for him to shine and capture a Golden Boot or two before his international career ends.
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