Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal on Monday returned to comments in which he said he does not fear France, insisting he was not "afraid" of "the Blues," in an attempt to contain a growing controversy on the eve of the France-Spain match in the semifinal of the North American World Cup on Tuesday in Arlington, near Dallas.

The Barcelona winger, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Monday, said: "I was asked if I fear France, and I answered no. We are European champions. It's football, as (his Barcelona and France teammate Jules) Koundé said. It's football, simply."

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The player, who appeared completely relaxed wearing a shiny necklace he bought himself for the occasion, added: "I haven't received many gifts yet. The best gift would be winning on Tuesday, plus a trip to New York." The Spanish talent, whose form has risen after a modest start to the tournament, despite scoring only one goal in the United States, also noted the challenge set by his coach Luis de la Fuente to score a new goal against France on Tuesday. Yamal said: "I don't worry about goals, but it's always special to score in these types of matches. I accept the challenge. That's why I came here."

Earlier, his coach De la Fuente urged his player to be "calm. He is 19 years old! No need to stress. Lamine's big day hasn't come yet. I hope it will be tomorrow (Tuesday), or in the final if we manage to reach it." With a calm similar to his player, De la Fuente, who admitted to being "a romantic" and loving "Julio Iglesias" songs, dismissed the debate about who the favorite to win is, saying it means "nothing" to him in terms of preference. However, he emphasized the development of the French team since their two defeats against Spain: in the Euro 2024 semifinal 0-2, and in the 2025 Nations League semifinal 4-5. He said: "It is a much better team. They continued to improve. The players kept progressing. Their abilities improved. That's it. (Kylian) Mbappé has evolved, (Ousmane) Dembélé has improved, and Pedri as well... We are all better, and so are the players individually."

He concluded: "Criticism of Mbappé (in Spain due to his disappointment with his club Real Madrid)? What can I say? Criticism is free, but for me he is a wonderful footballer. Everyone has the freedom to criticize, but I am a fan of show football and great players, and Kylian is certainly one of the greats of world football."