Four years after playing at school, Lamine Yamal pursues stardom at the World Cup

Speaking to RFEF, he said: "At last, the time has come. I believe that ever since the Euros finished, we have all been looking forward to this day and we are extremely excited. We arrive as the team we are, as European champions, and we are giving it everything."

Lamine Yamal has been sidelined since April due to an injury sustained at Barcelona, and there were concerns that he might not be fit in time for the World Cup.

His inclusion in Luis de la Fuente's squad put those worries to rest, but that did not prevent him from thinking about the tournament as soon as his hamstring gave way.

He added: "I recall the moment I got injured. I was praying inside that it was nothing, just a cramp or something minor, because I felt the World Cup was so near and I knew it was a hamstring injury, something I had never experienced before, but I understood it would not be a quick recovery. So I feared it might be serious, and above all, that even if it was not serious, I could have a relapse and miss the World Cup.

"It also helps to know that you are going to play in a World Cup, so your mind feels as though you have not played a single match all season, and I am truly eager to make my debut."

The 18-year-old burst onto the scene at EURO 2024, helping Spain to win their first major trophy since 2012, when Lamine Yamal was just four years old. That spotlight has only intensified after his consistent displays for Barcelona, meaning he has had to grow up quickly.

He explained: "In my head, it feels as though I have been playing football for ten years, but actually it has been three years, and four years ago I was playing with them at the local sports centre. So, a kid who was playing with you three years ago is now going to play in a World Cup. It must be something crazy, really crazy."

In his short but remarkable career, he has already won major trophies with club and country, but the World Cup is something every child dreams of, and Lamine Yamal is no different.

Asked if he has imagined lifting the Jules Rimet trophy, he replied: "A thousand times, in my room or when we won a match at the sports centre in my neighbourhood, because I think the World Cup is the biggest thing in football."

Because of his rapid rise to fame, Lamine Yamal has certainly built a huge following, something he knows all too well having idolised Neymar as a youngster, and someone he could face at this World Cup.

Asked about his fans, he said: "They are the ones I relate to most. In the end, when I see a little kid, I know that in his mind he is looking at his idol and he does not understand...

"It is not that I am having a bad day; I think at that moment you really have to stop and take a photo because when I was small, my idol was Neymar and I would have done anything for a photo with Neymar when I was a child, absolutely anything.

"If you told me to go to Russia by train, I would have gone to Russia by train for a photo with him. So yes, I really empathise with them because I know they are just thinking they are in front of their idol and they want to be like him and want a photo with him."

Spain will face Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H, with La Roja expected to progress comfortably. Attention will then turn to bigger and stronger opponents if Spain are to repeat their 2010 success.

"In the end, we play against very good teams. If we play against France, I might be very important but if the team is not doing well, we have nothing to do. So I go in with that excitement because I know we have a great team, one of the best we have ever had, and we have very important players.

"Starting with Rodri, who is a Ballon d'Or winner. (Mikel) Oyarzabal, who, for me, is top, among the best strikers at the World Cup, I think he is fantastic. And he is confident too. We have Pedri. I love watching him play. Position by position, starting with (Marc) Cucurella, who was at the Euros, he looks like a different player. We have a squad full of great players and in goal we have the three best."