Lewandowski's Take on Lamine Yamal's World Cup Performance

Robert Lewandowski has seen Lamine Yamal at his terrifying best. For him, the version that dazzled the United States only hinted at what is coming.

The former Barcelona striker, now beginning a new life in MLS with Chicago Fire, offered a blunt assessment when asked if the world had just witnessed peak Yamal at the World Cup.

“Honestly, no, we didn't,” he told ESPN.

Lewandowski’s verdict cuts through the post-tournament hype. While much of the football world rushed to crown the teenager after his performances for Spain, the veteran forward pointed back in time. The Yamal who lit up the tournament, he insisted, was not the sharpest, most devastating iteration he has seen.

For Lewandowski, that came two seasons ago at Barcelona.

“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,” he said.

There was a clear reason, in his eyes, why the winger never quite hit that level in the United States. Yamal arrived at the World Cup on the back of an injury and a long spell without competitive minutes.

“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.”

Thrown straight into the intensity of a World Cup, with no real runway, Yamal was asked to perform on instinct and talent more than rhythm and conditioning. That he still stood out only underlines how high his ceiling is.

Yet Lewandowski saw something else that mattered just as much as the teenager’s individual brilliance: the way Spain’s structure wrapped around him.

“He showed really good quality. 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 – tells the story. Yamal was not simply a prodigy left to fend for himself on the biggest stage. He was part of a young, tightly knit unit, one Lewandowski knows well from his time at Camp Nou.

Poland did not qualify for the tournament, leaving their captain to watch from afar. When the final came around – Spain against Argentina – his allegiance was clear. Despite his long association with Lionel Messi, Lewandowski found himself firmly in La Roja’s corner.

“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 said.

“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.”

It was a rare glimpse into the emotional side of elite footballers, where dressing-room bonds can outweigh even the pull of a legend like Messi. For Lewandowski, Spain’s triumph – and Yamal’s role in it – felt like a natural step for a group he believes is only just beginning.

“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.”

That future now splits in two.

Yamal will soon return to Barcelona, where the task is simple and brutal: get fully fit, reclaim his sharpness and carry World Cup confidence into a long, demanding club season. The expectation will be heavier, the spotlight brighter, and Lewandowski’s words will linger – somewhere out there is an even better version of him.

Lewandowski, meanwhile, has already turned the page. His move to Chicago Fire marks a new chapter in a career that has taken him from Dortmund to Munich to Barcelona, and now to MLS. The goals, though, remain the same.

He has already debuted against Inter Miami CF, stepping straight into a league still adjusting to the gravitational pull of Messi. Lewandowski made it clear he has not crossed the Atlantic for a quiet fade-out.

“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.”

One star chasing trophies in a new country. Another racing towards his prime in Barcelona.

If Lewandowski is right, the world has not yet seen the real Lamine Yamal. The question now is how quickly that version arrives – and how far it can take both Spain and Barça when it does.