Teen Sensation Lamine Yamal Draws Level With Jay-Jay Okocha’s World Cup Record

Spain’s teenage star Lamine Yamal has equalled a remarkable World Cup record set by Nigerian football legend Jay-Jay Okocha 28 years ago, underlining his outstanding performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

According to statistics from ESPN, the Barcelona winger is averaging 12 successful dribbles per 90 minutes at the tournament—the highest rate by any player to feature for more than 200 minutes at a single World Cup since Okocha achieved the same feat during Nigeria’s memorable campaign at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

Okocha played in all three of Nigeria’s group-stage matches in France ’98, inspiring the Super Eagles to a famous 3-2 comeback victory over Spain before helping secure a 1-0 win against Bulgaria. Nigeria eventually bowed out in the Round of 16 after a 4-1 defeat to Denmark.

His dazzling display against Spain remains one of the most iconic individual performances by a Nigerian at the World Cup. Okocha completed nine successful dribbles, created two goal-scoring chances, and delivered three crosses as Nigeria stunned the European side through goals from Mutiu Adepoju, an own goal by Andoni Zubizarreta, and a memorable long-range strike from Sunday Oliseh.

In recognition of that performance, FIFA awarded Okocha a retrospective Player of the Match honour in June 2026, nearly three decades after the historic encounter.

The former Super Eagles captain also holds another impressive World Cup milestone. During the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, he completed 15 successful dribbles against Italy—the highest number ever recorded by a player in a single World Cup match.

Meanwhile, Yamal has emerged as one of the standout performers of the 2026 tournament. Spain have won all eight major international tournament matches he has started, giving the 18-year-old a perfect 100 percent winning record, the best by any European player in a World Cup or UEFA European Championship starting lineup.

The Barcelona youngster also made history alongside teammate Pau Cubarsí, becoming the first pair of teenage teammates to start a World Cup knockout match for any nation since Pelé and Antonio Altafini achieved the feat for Brazil at the 1958 World Cup.

Having fully recovered from the hamstring injury he sustained while playing for Barcelona in April, Yamal has continued to impress as Spain progressed comfortably past Austria in the Round of 32.

Spain will now turn their attention to a highly anticipated clash against Portugal, as they continue their quest for the 2026 FIFA World Cup title.