The Real Spain Has Now Arrived

There's really no such thing as a team. If you've ever come across a guy in an Argentina jersey playing with a soccer ball at the park, and watched as he managed about three clumsy kick-ups before accidentally toe-poking it down a hill (by the way, next time you see me out like that, feel free to say hi!), then you too know that what matters in this game isn't the shirt itself, but the body inside it. As such, it's no surprise that the Spain that played Goliath in the monumental upset against Cape Verde bore little resemblance to the Spain everyone considered one of the big favorites coming into this World Cup. Spain is only really Spain when Lamine Yamal is one of the guys wearing that particular shade of red laundry, and Lamine did not start the Cape Verde match. He did start Sunday's match against Saudi Arabia, though, and wouldn't you know it, Spain immediately looked like Spain again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w453UjgtQw4 As a Barcelona fan, one of the things I've come to know and love about Lamine is that he's one of those players who always brings a special fire to big games. Coming into what was his first proper introduction to the World Cup, you could tell Lamine was determined to assert himself in the match, at the tournament, and in the world's broader consciousness. It took only 30 seconds to see evidence of that yearning for protagonism and of the sizzling talent that earns him it.