At only 18 years of age, Lamine Yamal has flown to the United States as one of the main characters of this summer’s World Cup.
The heartbeat of a Barcelona team that has won back-to-back championships has already finished runner-up for Ballon d’Or and could be the frontrunner to win the best player of the year if he can lead Spain to their second World Cup in July.
Yamal is no stranger to leading Spain on the international stage, having already won a major championship, the Euros, with his country two years ago, when he broke onto the scene with a goal in the semifinals against France before assisting in the final win over England.
One thing fans have noticed about the young superstar, though, is his hand, which is regularly wrapped in bandages, even when he is not dealing with an injury of any kind.
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While some believed he wore the bandages for a lingering ailment from playing against grown adults week in and week out as a teenager, the 18-year-old revealed the meaning behind his bandages in a recent video discussing the upcoming World Cup.
“Bandage on my hand when I play?” Yamal mused, going over the question. “Because once, I was playing with the PlayStation and hit the TV, and my fingers swelled up. Then afterward, I saw that the bandage suited me well, as if I were Karim Benzema.”
Benzema became renowned for having his hand taped up, but that was due to an actual injury: he broke his pinky finger in 2019. But the Real Madrid standout pushed off surgery and played through the pain, the taped hand becoming synonymous with the Spaniard.
So if you’re watching the World Cup this June and wonder why one of the tournament’s best players is all bandaged up, don’t worry, he’s fine.
He’s just making a fashion statement.
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