Lamine Yamal will wear Spain’s prestigious number 10 shirt against England on Sunday inheriting the squad number left vacant by Dani Olmo’s injury absence.
According to the official squad list published by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), the 19-year-holdup FC Barcelona winger takes over the symbol for only the second time in his international career, as reported by Foot Mercato. Yamal previously wore the number 10 in October 2024 against Denmark, also triggered by an absence of Olmo.
Normally the owner of the number 19 shirt, Yamal sees that preference assigned for this fixture to Liverpool player Víctor Muñoz, who itself wore the 10 against the Czech Republic. Alongside the squad adjustments based on seniority, head coach Luis de la Fuente pruned his matchday roster ahead of the Three Lions fixture.
Aside from Alejandro Grimaldo’s pre-existing absence due to a flu-like illness that kept him out of training, de la Fuente cut four players from the group facing England: Jacobo Ramón, Jorge de Frutos, Roberto, and goalkeeper Álvaro Valles, according to Mundo Deportivo via Foot Mercato.
After picking up a minor knee knock during Barcelona’s 2-1 victory over Atlético Madrid, the forward sat out Thursday’s UEFA Nations League match against the Czech Republic before rejoining the national camp on Friday, as detailed by Le Soir and Sudinfo.
That arrangement sparked accusations from some observers that the player was hand-picking his fixtures, drawing sharp rebukes on television and radio broadcasts. Edu Aguirre criticized the handling on El Chiringuito de Jugones, telling the broadcast panel:
“Si tu n’es pas là pour le match de jeudi, eh bien tu n’es pas là pour celui de dimanche. Point final. Je n’aime pas ces sélections à la carte.”
said Edu Aguirre, journalist on El Chiringuito de Jugones, as reported by Le Soir and Sudinfo.
Miguel Talavera raised similar objections on Cadena SER regarding special treatment, while critics also questioned whether Barcelona applied pressure on the federation to limit the teenager’s minutes.
Facing mounting questions from media and supporters, de la Fuente defended the staff’s handling of the forward’s fitness during international duty, pointing to preventative caution rather than preferential treatment.
“Il n’a rien. Il était prêt à jouer et, s’il y avait eu urgence, nous l’aurions probablement fait jouer. Mais cela ne vaut pas la peine de prendre des risques. Nous pensons avant tout à sa santé.”
said Luis de la Fuente, head coach of Spain, in comments reported by the EFE news agency via Le Soir and Sudinfo.
The squad finalization sets the stage for Sunday’s encounter against England in the UEFA Nations League.
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