Kylian Mbappe–Lamine Yamal: Two Stars, One Match

The 2026 World Cup semi-finals between France and Spain is highly anticipated, but what everyone is talking about is the duel between two European stars: Kylian Mbappe of France and Lamine Yamal of Spain. This will be the first time the pair meet at a World Cup, but it is far from their first encounter overall. The two players have previously met ten times in other competitions. Pundits are unanimous that both players have been highly instrumental in their teams’ progress to this semi- finals stage of the tournament. Mbappe, for example, is currently leading the top scorer race of the ongoing com­ petition with eight goals and three assists. After coming off the bench in Spain’s opening draw with Cabo Verde, Yamal started against Saudi Arabia and scored in their 4–0 victory. But as the competition progresses, Yamal has since then failed to add another goal to his count even if his abilities of creating opportunities upfront have attracted widespre...