'I watched last World Cup from a classroom' — Lamine Yamal opens up on shattering Messi's record

Spain emphatically announced their official arrival at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, utilising an historic performance from teenage phenom Lamine Yamal to power past Saudi Arabia in a clinical 4-0 routing at Atlanta Stadium.

Following a frustrating, goalless opening draw against Cape Verde, La Roja bounced back with standard-bearing authority. The blockbuster win puts Spain firmly at the top of Group H with four points, all but locking up their entry into the tournament's Round of 32.

The undisputed catalyst for the resurgence was 18-year-old Barcelona sensation Yamal. Handed his very first career World Cup start by manager Luis de la Fuente after recovering from a nagging hamstring injury, the Barca forward needed just ten minutes to turn the world stage into his personal playground.

In the 10th minute, Yamal ignited the floodgates by making a perfectly timed back-post run, sliding in effortlessly to convert a drilled low cross from Mikel Oyarzabal.

The goal immediately catapulted the youngster into elite footballing folklore:

• Eighth-Youngest Ever: At 18 years and 343 days old, Yamal stamped his name as the eighth-youngest goalscorer in the entire history of the FIFA World Cup.

• The Pele Parallel: Crucially, he became only the second player aged 18 or younger to ever score his country's opening goal of a World Cup tournament, matching a legendary milestone set by Brazil icon Pele against Wales in 1958.

• Surpassing Messi: The strike saw Yamal open his World Cup account at an age two weeks younger than his iconic Barcelona predecessor Lionel Messi did during his tournament debut in 2006.

Speaking to FIFA directly after the final whistle, Yamal reflected on the dizzying speed of his meteoric rise from standard school boy to global superstar.

"I’ve always dreamed of being at a World Cup, and being able to score in my first match as a starter is a dream," Yamal admitted emotionally. 

"I watched the last World Cup from a classroom, so being able to score here with my mum and my family in the stands is a dream come true."

Yamal’s inclusion injected the precise creative spark, pace, and verticality that de la Fuente’s side had sorely lacked on Matchday 1. The forward tormented the Saudi full-backs seamlessly before being substituted out at halftime for Yeremy Pino to rest his hamstring for the knockout stages.

By the time he departed, the damage was already entirely done. Driven by a masterful first-half display from Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain became the first nation since Germany in 2014 to smash three goals past an opponent in the opening 25 minutes of a World Cup fixture. 

Oyarzabal supplemented his early assist to Yamal with a lethal three-minute brace, scoring close-range strikes in the 21st and 24th minutes.

With the game effectively decided, Spain dropped into secondary gear to control the tempo of the second half. Under continuous pressure from Marc Cucurella, Saudi defender Hassan Altambakti deflected a cross into his own net in the 49th minute to extend Spain's lead to 4-0.

"The first game wasn't really us, it was different," Yamal noted via post-match reports. "But now we've arrived, and we're going for more."

Spain will conclude their Group H campaign against South American giants Uruguay, where a solitary point will officially clinch the top seed for the knockouts.