Spain's former prime minister used a TV debate to question the origins of several France players at the 2026 World Cup. Asked about it before the semi-final, Lamine Yamal sidestepped the row and hailed football as a model of integration.
The column Mariano Rajoy writes for 'El Debate' after every match played by the Spanish national team is still making waves several days after it was published. In his latest piece, the former prime minister praised the performance of Luis de la Fuente's side against Belgium, but also penned a few lines that have ended up carrying more weight than his football analysis.
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The row intensified when the former leader turned his attention to the French national team and the background of part of its squad, which he described as being of the very highest level but "without French players", while also predicting they will be a "formidable" opponent for Spain.
His comment was not only circulated widely in the Spanish media, but it has also crossed the border: In France, it has even prompted a response from Emmanuel Macron's own government.
Yamal sidesteps the issue: 'I don't think there's room for that'
The controversy reached Tuesday's press conference ahead of the semi-final between France and Spain, when a journalist from a local outlet put the question to Lamine Yamal, reminding him that he, as a player of diverse origins within the Spanish side itself, knows that debate well.
The forward from Rocafonda did not avoid the question, but he did steer clear of the controversy. He argued that Wednesday's game will be "one of the most beautiful you can play at a World Cup" and underlined the social role of football as a tool for integration, citing Spain and France as examples of that. He said he preferred not to comment on what Rajoy had said.