Degryse imagines Yamal dethroning Messi in World Cup final

Marc Degryse says that if Lamine Yamal leads Spain to World Cup glory, it would be a symbolic moment in which the Argentine legend Lionel Messi could lose to the teenage Spaniard. The comment came during an Football podcast recorded while the Belgian national team, the Red Devils, enjoy a holiday break. While the Red Devils are on vacation, the World Cup continues unabated. The podcast hosts discuss the two semi‑finals that have already taken place: France versus Spain, which ended 0‑2, and England versus Argentina, which finished 1‑2. Yanko Beeckman, the podcast’s presenter, is joined by defender Toby Alderweireld and former international Marc Degryse. Alderweireld says, “I think Spain will win, and Yamal has already been good in this World Cup, but I think he will explode on Sunday.” Degryse adds, “If Yamal makes Spain world champion after that European title, that would be very cool. It could also be the transfer of the GOAT title. Messi losing to Yamal, how symbolic would that be?”

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He continues, “On the other hand, if Messi at 39 manages to win the World Cup again, then Yamal will have to enjoy a very long career to get there. It will, in my opinion, really be a final to lick the beard.” The discussion also notes that France’s star Kylian Mbappé played only a minor role against Spain, and did not feature when the decisive moments arrived. Alderweireld, Degryse and former referee Frank Boeckx label Thibaut Courtois’ proposal for a sabbatical with the Red Devils as a “very dangerous precedent.” The podcast was recorded on Thursday morning and published by on 16 July 2026, with Yanko Beeckman credited as the football journalist.