Lamine Yamal talked a big game about France fearing Spain — here's why Les Bleus have nothing to fear

Lamine Yamal has never been shy about backing himself, and ahead of Spain's World Cup semi-final showdown with France, the Barcelona youngster made sure everyone knew exactly where he stands.

In a post shared by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Yamal claimed it is France, not Spain, who should be the ones worried heading into Tuesday's clash.

'I think that if France has to fear anyone, it's us... as we're the ones who have knocked them out before,' Yamal said.

Pulse Sports Nigeria also reported that the 18-year-old, whose Man of the Match award against Belgium in the quarter-final sparked plenty of controversy, insisted La Roja are not scared of Les Bleus in the slightest.

Bold words. But a data reveal from OptaJoe suggests Kylian Mbappe's France side have very little reason to lose sleep over Yamal specifically, whatever the psychological edge Spain may hold as a team.

Yamal's underlying numbers at this World Cup make for strikingly underwhelming reading for a player talking such a big game:

4.4% shot-to-goal conversion (1/23)

45.7% successful dribbles (21/46)

47.4% duels won (36/76)

104 balls lost — the highest total of any player at the tournament

Fear? Hardly the word that springs to mind. In the quarter-final win over Belgium, despite picking up a Man of the Match award that raised eyebrows across the football world, Yamal failed to create a single chance across the entire match.

Where Yamal's confidence does find some genuine backing is in the head-to-head history between the two nations and his own personal record against Les Bleus.

At EURO 2024, Spain defeated France 2-1 in Munich, with a Yamal strike playing no small part in that win. 

A year later, the two sides met again in Germany, this time at the UEFA Nations League semi-final in Stuttgart. 

Spain came out on top once more, winning a nine-goal thriller by the odd goal, with Yamal netting a brace and Mbappe also getting on the scoresheet.

So while the individual numbers this tournament suggest Yamal is far from the unstoppable force his comments imply, the broader history between these two nations and his own record of stepping up against France specifically means Les Bleus would be foolish to write him off entirely when the two sides meet again on Tuesday night in what promises to be a star-studded, all-European semi-final.