Lamine Yamal has turned up the heat ahead of Spain’s FIFA World Cup semi-final against France with a trio of Instagram Stories that have quickly gone viral. The Barcelona star first shared a dramatic image of himself in Spain colours before following it up with clips of his goals against Les Bleus from the UEFA Nations League and Euro 2024. The timing of the posts, just hours before kick-off, has been interpreted by fans as a reminder of Spain’s recent dominance over France.
The second story showed Yamal celebrating during Spain’s thrilling 5-4 victory over France in the 2025 UEFA Nations League semi-final. He scored twice in that match, including a calmly converted penalty, as Spain survived a late French comeback to book their place in the final. The teenager was named Player of the Match after another standout display against Didier Deschamps’ side.His third story revisited the goal that announced him to the football world. Yamal’s stunning curling strike against France in the Euro 2024 semi-final made him the youngest goalscorer in European Championship history and helped Spain overturn an early deficit before sealing a 2-1 victory. It remains one of the defining moments of his young career. The posts come ahead of another blockbuster meeting between the two European heavyweights, this time with a place in the FIFA World Cup final at stake. Spain have already beaten Austria, Portugal and Belgium in the knockout rounds, while France advanced past Paraguay and Morocco. Another victory would send La Roja into their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 2010.