Lamine Yamal's Potential: Robert Lewandowski's Insights
Robert Lewandowski has seen enough of Lamine Yamal up close to know when the Barcelona prodigy is truly flying. For him, the version on show in the United States was good – but nowhere near the ceiling.
Asked if the world had just witnessed Yamal at his absolute best during the World Cup, the Chicago Fire striker didn’t hesitate.
“Honestly, no, we didn't [see his best this tournament],” he told ESPN. The standard, in his mind, was set long before this summer. “The best performance, the best Lamine for me, of course, wasn't the last season, but two seasons ago, that was for me now the best version of Lamine Yamal.”
That is not a criticism. It’s context.
Yamal arrived at the World Cup on the back of an injury and a long spell without competitive minutes. For a teenager built on rhythm, sharpness and repetition, the timing could hardly have been worse.
“He's still young, he came to the World Cup after injury and he didn't play for like eight weeks,” Lewandowski explained. “So it's tough if you don't play eight weeks and you have to start playing in the World Cup, then you don't have time for the training just from game to game.”
No pre-tournament runway. No gradual build-up. Straight into the pressure cooker.
And yet, even short of what Lewandowski considers his peak, Yamal still flashed the qualities that have made him Barcelona’s latest obsession. The touch. The vision. The fearlessness to demand the ball when others might hide.
“He showed really good quality,” Lewandowski said, highlighting the dynamic inside Luis de la Fuente’s squad. “The Spain players and the team helped Lamine and Lamine also helped the whole team. I think that this cooperation was perfect.”
That word – cooperation – matters. Spain’s run was not about one boy wonder carrying a nation, but about a young talent being plugged into a system that amplified his strengths and protected his weaknesses.
Lewandowski watched it all from afar, his own Poland side having failed to reach the tournament. With no direct stake in the outcome, he still found himself emotionally invested as the final unfolded between Spain and Argentina.
He chose his colours early.
“I know a lot of players from Spain and I spent so much time in Barcelona with them, so I supported them a lot,” he admitted. The bond of a shared dressing room at Camp Nou outweighed even the magnetism of Lionel Messi on the other side.
“Of course, I know from Argentina personally only Leo, but I know that he won the last World Cup. That's why I support the Spanish national team because if you play with them, you spend a lot of time together then it's easier to support this team.”
There was no sense of regret in backing Spain over Messi’s Albiceleste. Only satisfaction at seeing a young, hungry group push deep into the tournament and look ready for more.
“I was happy because I know they were ready to win the World Cup,” Lewandowski said. “They are very young and the future is in front of them.”
For Yamal, that future now swings back to Barcelona. After international duty and a much-needed summer reset, his task is clear: rebuild his physical base, reclaim his sharpness, and rediscover the devastating version of himself that Lewandowski remembers from two seasons ago.
The stage will be the same. The expectations, even higher.
Lewandowski’s own path has veered in a different direction. The veteran striker has crossed the Atlantic, trading La Liga nights for MLS battles with Chicago Fire. His debut came against Inter Miami CF, a fixture loaded with narrative but, for him, stripped down to something simple: start delivering.
“I'm ready to do this and try to help my team-mates and new club take the next step, and also to win some titles,” he said, outlining his ambitions in the United States.
One career is in its final chapters, chasing trophies in a new league. The other is only just beginning, with a superstar team-mate insisting the best is still to come.
If Lewandowski is right, the version of Lamine Yamal the world has just seen was only a glimpse – not the finished portrait.
