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

Robert Lewandowski has seen Lamine Yamal at full throttle. And, in his eyes, the World Cup version in the United States was only a glimpse.

The former Barcelona striker, now with Chicago Fire, drew a clear line between the teenager’s recent performances for Spain and the level he once reached in club colours.

“Honestly, no, we didn't [see his best this tournament],” Lewandowski told ESPN when asked if Yamal had hit his ceiling at the World Cup. For him, the benchmark lies in the past. “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.”

It was a revealing assessment, and not a criticism. Lewandowski pointed straight at context: a kid, just back from injury, thrown into the most demanding stage in world football.

Yamal arrived at the tournament after a layoff of around eight weeks. No rhythm, no proper run of games, barely any time on the training pitch. Straight into a World Cup.

“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.”

The physical toll was obvious, yet the quality still cut through. Yamal’s left foot, his courage to take on defenders, his understanding of space – all of it survived the rust.

“But he showed really good quality,” Lewandowski said. “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 – summed up Spain’s run. A young core, playing with the swagger of a club side, made room for a teenager to grow inside the storm of a World Cup. Yamal wasn’t the solo act; he was part of a system that trusted him and, in turn, fed off his talent.

From afar, Lewandowski watched it all. Poland weren’t there, having failed to qualify, so the veteran forward chose a different shirt to emotionally invest in.

He picked 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 said. Years at Camp Nou forged bonds that don’t fade with a transfer or a new league.

On the other side stood Argentina and Lionel Messi – a legend Lewandowski knows well, but not a dressing room he ever shared.

“Of course, I know from Argentina personally only Leo, but I know that he won the last World Cup,” he said. That mattered. Messi had already climbed that mountain. Spain’s young group had not.

“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,” Lewandowski added.

He wasn’t just backing friends. He believed in the project.

“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.”

For Yamal, that future now swings back to club football. After international duty and a well-earned summer pause, his focus returns to Barcelona and the grind of a new campaign. The goal is simple: rebuild peak physical condition, rediscover the explosive form Lewandowski remembers from two seasons ago, and carry the confidence of a World Cup into the day-to-day reality of La Liga and Europe.

Lewandowski’s own path has taken a sharp turn. The man who once led the line at Camp Nou now wears the colours of Chicago Fire in MLS, where he has already made his debut against Inter Miami CF. New league, new country, same standards.

He has been clear about his intentions in the United States: he is not there to wind down.

“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.

As one era at Barcelona evolves without him and a teenage star tries to reclaim his highest level, Lewandowski has planted his flag in Chicago, chasing trophies on another continent while keeping a close eye on the next chapter of Lamine Yamal’s rise.