Robert Lewandowski on Lamine Yamal's Potential and Future
Robert Lewandowski has seen Lamine Yamal at a level the rest of the world, he insists, has not yet witnessed on the biggest stage.
The former Barcelona striker, now beginning a new adventure with Chicago Fire in MLS, believes the teenager’s World Cup in the United States only scratched the surface of what he can do.
“That wasn’t the best Lamine”
Asked by ESPN whether fans had seen Yamal at his absolute peak during the tournament, Lewandowski didn’t hesitate.
“Honestly, no, we didn't [see his best this tournament],” he said, before pointing back to the winger’s earlier exploits at club level. For Lewandowski, the most complete version of Yamal did not arrive last season, but two years ago at Barcelona, when the youngster first began to look truly unstoppable.
The explanation is simple and brutal in football terms: rhythm.
Yamal arrived at the World Cup on the back of an injury and a long spell on the sidelines. “He came to the World Cup after injury and he didn't play for like eight weeks,” Lewandowski noted. Eight weeks without competitive football, then straight into the intensity of a World Cup, is a punishing ask for any player, let alone a teenager still growing into his body and his role.
There was no gentle build-up, no extended training block to sharpen his edge. “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,” Lewandowski said.
And yet, even short of his top gear, Yamal still impressed. The Poland captain highlighted the winger’s technical level and how seamlessly he fitted into a Spain side packed with young, ambitious talent.
“He showed really good quality,” Lewandowski added. “The Spain players and the team helped Lamine and Lamine also helped the whole team. I think that this cooperation was perfect.”
A teenager not at his peak, still heavily influencing a World Cup run. For Barcelona, that is both a warning to manage him carefully and a tantalising promise of what might come next.
Backing Spain over Messi’s Argentina
Lewandowski watched the tournament from afar. Poland failed to qualify, leaving their captain as a high-profile observer rather than a protagonist. When the final came around – Spain against Argentina – his allegiance was clear.
He sided with Spain.
“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 explained. The bond forged in the Camp Nou dressing room tipped the scales, even against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
“Of course, I know from Argentina personally only Leo, but I know that he won the last World Cup,” Lewandowski said. That mattered. Messi had already climbed the mountain in Qatar; this time, Lewandowski wanted to see his former team-mates crowned.
“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.”
Spain, in his eyes, were not just sentimental favourites. They were ready.
“I was happy because I know they were ready to win the World Cup. They are very young and the future is in front of them.”
Yamal sits at the heart of that future. A symbol of a new Spain, and of a Barcelona side still trying to rebuild around youth and technical excellence.
Yamal resets, Lewandowski starts over
Now comes the reset.
After international duty and a well-earned summer break, Yamal will turn back to Barcelona, where the priority is simple: get fully fit, restore his sharpness and rediscover the version of himself that Lewandowski still ranks above anything seen in the United States.
For Lewandowski, the next chapter has already started. The 35-year-old has crossed the Atlantic to join Chicago Fire, making his debut against Inter Miami CF and stepping into a league increasingly shaped by big names and big expectations.
The ambition is not modest.
“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.
Yamal chases his best self again at Barcelona. Lewandowski chases trophies in MLS. Both know their peak versions are still the standard – and neither seems remotely interested in settling for less.
