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Olivia Wilde Explains Whether Ex Jason Sudeikis Deliberately Served Her Papers On Stage During Breakup: ‘Jason Has Told Me…’

Over four years ago now, Olivia Wilde experienced one of the wildest Hollywood moments caught on camera. While presenting her directorial debut, Don’t Worry Darling, onstage at CinemaCon in 2022, she was served legal papers from her ex, Jason Sudeikis. The moment was downright shocking to everyone involved, and Wilde herself is still reeling from the incident.
In an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast on June 17, the House alum addressed the incident head-on. “I will never forget, one of the most f— up things that I went through — among so many — was that I was served papers on stage,” Wilde said. “It was incredibly traumatizing.”
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She then went on to talk about how Sudeikis, whom she shares kids Otis, 12, and Daisy, 9, with, played a part in the whole thing.
“I know Jason has told me that he did not know [about the timing] and I need to believe that in order to continue,” she said. Wilde and Sudeikis were together for seven years before splitting in 2020 amid rumors of her relationship with Don’t Worry Darling star, Harry Styles.
“I think that lawyers can be super f— up and do f— up things, and I’m aware of that,” Wilde continued, partly removing responsibility from her ex. “I think that people are never their best selves when they’re engaging in that kind of process, and it was so f— up in so many ways.”
RELATED: Harry Styles’ New Song Hints His & Olivia Wilde’s Breakup Had Everything to Do With Her Kids
Regardless of his involvement, the Ted Lasso star was open with Wilde about regretting how everything happened. “I know it really hurt him to see it happening to me,” Wilde said. “I think it was undeniable that it was a f— up thing, and I know he felt very, very bad that it happened to me.”
“It was a moment that I ended up doing a lot of therapy about,” she added, “still kind of do.”
Also in the interview, Wilde explained why the moment was so traumatizing for her.
“There’s the feeling of being on stage that is a vulnerable feeling, she said. “Also, that room couldn’t have been higher stress. The people in that room at CinemaCon are… it’s all the studio people. So it’s all the people you were trying to impress the most with your work and all the exhibitors, the people at the movie theaters, the people you need to sell your movies, and all the press.”
“It was like, I cannot f— believe this is happening to me here,” she reflected. “And yet, the crazy thing is, once you make it through things like that, you kinda feel like you can make it through anything.”
Wilde went on to date Styles for two years before splitting amicably in 2022. She and Sudeikis never got back together, but have been co-parenting ever since their split.
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Angelina Jolie makes jaws drop at ‘Couture’ screening in New York; Actress shows off tattooed back in strapless gown – WATCH

Angelina Jolie made a stunning appearance in New York City as she continued promotions for her upcoming film ‘Couture’. In true movie-star fashion, the actress captivated fans and photographers as she stepped out of her car in a glamorous black-and-white ensemble. The Oscar-winning actress attended the event in a chic strapless black Bottega Veneta gown layered beneath an oversized white Calvin Klein jacket and she completed the sophisticated look with a pair of dark aviators. Looking every bit the movie star, Jolie paused to greet fans, sign autographs and pose for photographs before heading into the building.
Angelina Jolie wows at ‘Couture’ screening
Angelina Jolie shows off her back tattoos
Moments later, the actress emerged without the jacket, revealing the full silhouette of her elegant strapless gown. The look also offered a glimpse of her back tattoos.
About ‘Couture’
Jolie’s appearance comes as she promotes ‘Couture’, which she said, was a ‘deeply personal’ project. The film, directed and written by acclaimed French filmmaker Alice Winocour, sees Jolie portraying Maxine, an American film director working in Europe on a fashion show production, who receives a breast cancer diagnosis.
Angelina Jolie hosts dinner event
As part of the film’s promotion, Jolie recently hosted an intimate dinner at Atelier Jolie, her downtown New York creative collective on June 15. The event brought together cancer survivors, medical professionals and creatives to celebrate strength, healing and community.
Angelina Jolie on ‘Couture’
Reflecting on the film and her collaboration with Winocour, Jolie said at the event, “Alice is a wonderful director and approaches the stories of the women in Couture with sensitivity and hope. The film is not about an end for my character but rather about a renewed desire to live life until your last breath which particularly resonates with me at this time in my life.” The actress also opened up about the personal journey she experienced while making the film saying, “I am not sure I was strong enough even five years ago to do this. To be open and trusting to share and be vulnerable again.”
Angelina Jolie on losing her mom to cancer
Speaking about loss and family, Jolie added, “Things happen in life that take us off path. We lose ourselves and we feel isolated. I would have given anything to have my mother alive to be there for her grandchildren.” The actress first debuted Couture at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, where she discussed the film with Variety and said, “I felt very vulnerable.” She went on to add, “I feel like it’s such a personal film. It felt so private that in my mind, it’s probably the one film that doesn’t feel like a film.”
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The film is particularly personal for the actress, whose mother, Marcheline Bertrand, passed away from ovarian and breast cancer in 2007. In 2013, Jolie publicly revealed that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, which significantly increased her risk of developing breast cancer.
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Social media ban is punishing the wrong people, teen influencers say

Social media has risks but has given us opportunities too, teen influencers say
Ziame Stewart can barely remember a time he was not performing for social media.
The 15-year-old has always loved singing and dancing, and says he has been filming “silly little videos” almost his whole life.
He started by making videos for friends and family when he lived abroad as a young child, but his hobby gradually grew into a passion and now potentially a future career.
Had Ziame been born a few years earlier, his career might have been in trouble before it even began thanks to the UK’s new policy banning under-16s from social media.
Although he will be turning 16 just before the new rules come into effect next spring, the budding singer and dancer is still frustrated. He thinks the policy could bury a generation of creative talent.
He points to hugely successful artists such as Justin Bieber and Billie Eilish, and his own personal inspiration, British rising star Sekou, who were all discovered on social media as teenagers.
“Imagine if this ban was put through ages ago – we wouldn’t have any of this music,” he tells the BBC.
Every day, Ziame posts covers of popular hits, snippets of his own original music, and dance videos set to trending tracks on social media. He’s convinced that promoting his work, connecting with fans and selling tickets to his shows would be a Herculean task without the platforms.
“I would not be doing what I’m doing now.”
While people like Ziame worry the ban could have unintended consequences, proponents insist it is necessary to protect children from harmful content, addictive algorithms, online predators and cyberbullying.
Revealing the plans on Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen.”
He said the policy would give children more time, security and freedom to grow up.
Additional restrictions for older children, aged 16 and 17, are in the works too, with more details to be announced next month.
The UK government is joining Australia – where similar world‑leading laws came into force in December – in arguing that tech giants have had plenty of time to make their platforms safer but have failed to do so.
Many teens see where parents and policymakers are coming from.
Harry Sawtell – a beauty influencer who has more than 100,000 followers on his social media accounts – knows first-hand how cruel social media can be.
His feeds are full of upbeat “get ready with me” videos, posts unpacking shopping hauls, and clips in which he talks about his life as a gay teen.
“I came out as gay at quite an early age,” he says. “I feel like a lot of people can be horrible about that or the fact I’m a bit flamboyant…
“You can receive a lot of backlash and hate for being yourself.”
On the flip side, he says that connections made through social media can be critical for vulnerable teens.
“I’ve definitely had some people message me before saying that I’ve helped them come out and be able to express themselves.”
Harry, 16, says his community – including his parents who work for BBC local radio – have always been supportive, but social media gives him the opportunity to see people like him living happy, fulfilling lives.
“That can obviously help make you feel like you have got a bright future,” he says.
Fashion-obsessed 14-year-old Miley Williams also feels like social media has helped her become more comfortable in her own skin.
She tells the BBC she has conflicting feelings about the ban coming to the UK. “I’m a bit 50/50.”
For her, social media isn’t just a hobby – it’s a job.
After building a following from a viral video three years ago, she now earns a modest income of about £400 a month. She’s also got brand deals and receives free gifts, while her dance videos, short skits and outfit try-ons bring in cash too.
Even if she can get around the ban, most of her followers are under 16. She fears she’ll be out of work and her future in the influencing industry will be undermined – as well as her ability to support herself through university.
However, Miley admits she does occasionally feel uneasy about social media.
Her account is heavily monitored by her parents who shield her from the worst of the online world, but she knows strangers send her inappropriate messages. Once in a while, fans even track her down and follow her around in real life.
Sometimes Miley also worries about the consumerist and addictive nature of these platforms. Doom-scrolling and the pressures around posting can take the fun out of social media, she feels. “It can get a little bit too much at times.”
But ultimately, she says social media has changed her life for the better.
And her mum, Victoria, says she’s frustrated that decisions around social media use are being taken out of parents’ hands.
Though she shares the concerns of many people pushing for the ban, she believes strict parenting can overcome those concerns.
Inappropriate comments or messages are filtered out and cyber bullies are blocked. “If they’re not nice, they get deleted,” she says.
What about sneaky scrolling after bed time? It doesn’t happen in her household. “We take it off her at night time… because I know for a fact she’ll get her phone back out.”
And life does not pass Miley by because she’s glued to a screen, Victoria stresses, running through a weekly schedule which includes boxing, cheerleading, daily studies, dedicated family time and outings with friends, along with content creation.
“She’s still a normal child in my eyes.”
With social media companies the only ones legally responsible for keeping teens off their platforms, Victoria says she’ll probably help Miley skirt the ban – confident in her own strict rules. “I’ve got to let her follow her dream.”
Ziame’s mum told the BBC she feels similarly: “I wouldn’t be for the ban for him… that’s [his] passion.”
Ziame says people his age have been misunderstood and their opinions disrespected by policymakers.
“Social media is a massive, massive part of my life,” he says. “I know it’s coming off like I’m in a relationship with social media,” he jokes, “but I don’t think I could live without [it].”
What would he say to the prime minister if he could make him listen?
“I think you should put yourself in our shoes.”

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France down Senegal 3-1 as Mbappe breaks record with brace

France stuttered, steadied and eventually stunned as Kylian Mbappe broke his country’s all-time goalscoring record in an ultimately thrilling 3-1 win over Senegal at MetLife Stadium.
Substitute Bradley Barcola netted either side of a pair of exquisite strikes from his captain, Mbappe, who is now within two goals of matching Miroslav Klose’s scoring record at the World Cup and on 58 for his country. His team as a whole might just feel like their candidacy to win this tournament is all the stronger, given that they showed just how effectively they could brush off a remarkably dreary start to the World Cup. In the first half, they were lucky that Senegal’s sprightly forwards couldn’t punish the numerous lapses of one of the pre-tournament favorites, but in the second they looked like the best team on the planet.
A historic day for Mbappe was one in which he typified his side as a whole. For the first 45 minutes, he was somewhere between a non-entity at best, a hindrance at worst, functioning on an entirely different wavelength to the rest of his star-studded team. When he and France clicked, however, there was nothing Senegal could do. In the first 20 minutes of the second half, France were irresistible, Michael Olise the creative hub around which everyone charged. The mood took Les Bleus and they became absolutely unstoppable.
That perhaps made it even more frustrating that this team were so diffident for so long. France arrived at this tournament with a hype that was inevitable given the spectacular talent of their front line: Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele and his fellow European champion Desire Doue, breakout star of the season, Michael Olise, and Kylian Mbappe. So exciting was that front four that it was enough for the world to forget how consistently French sides under Deschamps have trod the line between effective and unwatchable.
The first half at MetLife Stadium unquestionably strode into that latter category. France’s back six seemed unable or unwilling to progress the ball with verve and speed, while that attacking quartet dropped ever deeper in pursuit of possession. Switching positions can doubtless be effective when the ball zips around the pitch. It is just not entirely clear that your attack is functioning at peak efficiency if Olise is dropping deep so that repurposed center back Jules Kounde can take up advanced positions. That much would become apparent in the second half.
No wonder France ended the first half with one shot worth 0.02 xG. The last time a team produced so little in a 45 minute spell at a World Cup? France in the first half of the final three and a half years ago.
This was the time for Senegal to inflict more misery on their former colonial power, the side who they had so memorably stunned 24 years ago in South Korea. The excellent Nicolas Jackson had to watch his shot crash back off the post, and Mike Maignan only to roll just wide of goal. Ismaila Sarr should have done better on the stroke of halftime after Sadio Mane glided through a static French defense. Instead, the Crystal Palace forward turned over from close range and gave Les Bleus the wake-up call they needed.
Deschamps, oft derided for his conservatism, made no personnel changes but pushed Olise centrally and Dembele out wide. It was an adjustment that worked with aplomb. Twice, Olise fizzed passes through the line in an attempt to bring Mbappe to life. The Real Madrid man was slow in getting going, but the controversial denial of a penalty when Mane seemed to clip him brought on his pugnacious side.
Seconds later he was turning home in expert fashion, timing his run in the box just right to meet an Olise through ball and guide low and precise past Edouard Mendy.
With a lead to play with, this became all the easier for the French, particularly given that they could turn to the likes of Barcola and Rayan Cherki off the bench. The latter burst in behind to meet the through ball of Adrien Rabiot and loft over Mendy. That is the worry for the field. The worry for France is that they can switch off, they can get run through as Ibrahim Mbaye did in added time, a thundering strike daring Maignan to do anything but palm the ball into the net.
Unfortunately for Senegal, Mbappe was not done. The ball breaking to him 30 yards out, he sensed that this might be a prime moment to etch himself in his country’s footballing history. He larruped the ball into the left corner of the net. What a way to bring a conclusion to what was looking like an off day. If he and France are this on for a full 90, good luck to their opponents.

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Trump celebrates 80th birthday : NPR

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump marked his 80th birthday on Sunday by hailing an initial agreement to end the war in Iran and staging a once unfathomable cage-fighting show on the White House’s storied South Lawn.
Trump had been touting the emerging deal for weeks and the continuing conflict threatened to overshadow the UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza, where combatants inside a wire-mesh Octagon tried to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission.
Ahead of the event, however, the president said an agreement to end the conflict “is now complete.” He declared that the U.S. will end its blockade of Iran, and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen. Crucial details still need negotiating over the coming weeks, however.
Top administration officials and Republican leaders attended the fights, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Polish President Karol Nawrocki was also at the White House.
It started with Trump and UFC chief Dana White walked together from the Oval Office to the Blue Room Balcony to survey the Octagon, standing for the national anthem as fighter jets thundered overhead.
Thousands of spectators crowded into the temporary arena under ” The Claw,” a spaceship-like metal arch fitted with lights, sound equipment and large screens. Thousands more watched on big screens from the nearby Ellipse.
“This event is a one of one event, incredible event,” said White, a close friend of the president’s, during a Friday night hype session at the Lincoln Memorial, where pairs of fighters shoved and scuffled for the cameras under the stoic gaze of Honest Abe’s marble likeness.
Before Sunday’s final fight, lightweight fighters Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, who wrapped himself in an American flag, each stepped out of the Oval Office and walked to the Octagon — meaning Trump even ceded his workspace as part of the show.
The American Gaethje then stunned Spanish-Georgian Topuria to win after four rounds that left copious blood on the cage floor. Trump later headed inside the cage to shake hands and watch a fireworks display that launched well after 1 a.m.
That capped a night where many of the winning fighters thanked Trump and God. Heavyweight Josh Hokit took it further with an extraordinary and unfounded attack based on a right-wing conspiracy theory about a former first lady: “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”
Hokit also headed over to Trump and placed a chain around the president’s neck.
Rain doesn’t mar fights
Wearing a suit and tie despite the summer heat, Trump a lot of time sitting stoned-faced, watching the action through wire-mesh cage. At one point he spoke briefly with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
When American Sean O’Malley fought Canadian Aiemann Zahabi, Trump donned a white USA hat. After Zahabi won, he shook Trump’s hand and saluted the president.
Earlier, as Diego Lopes was defeating American Steve Garcia in the opening fight, the president could be seen speaking to first lady Melania Trump. After Bo Nickal knocked out Kyle Daukaus in the second fight, Nickal went over to Trump and kneeled down, chatting briefly.
“I gotta thank President Trump for making this happen,” Nickal said in a subsequent interview, as Trump grinned. Nickal added that the president is a “special person,” before Trump-favorite “YMCA” played.
The president sought to tie the fights to larger celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But it was so geared toward himself that the G7 summit for leaders of industrialized nations pushed back their get-together so that the president could attend his cage-match party and then fly to Europe for the meetings.
The weekend wasn’t all smiles for Trump, though. Crews pried Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center near the White House after a judge ruled naming it after the president had gone too far. And, before the fight began, UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland — an outspoken critic of Israel — was escorted out of the Ellipse by a crowd of law enforcement officers.
Still, despite forecasts predicting strong chances of thunderstorms that delayed the event briefly, rain wasn’t an issue.
A dramatic departure from how the last president marked his 80th
The crowd repeatedly chanted, “USA! USA!” when an American fighter faced a foreign opponent. Until the finale, that didn’t always help the American fighter prevail. After winning his fight, Brazil’s Mauricio Ruffy proposed to his girlfriend who — in Trumpian fashion — flashed a thumb’s up from the crowd.
It was all a very long way from when Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, turned 80 in November 2022. Biden celebrated with a private family brunch at the White House, laying bare just how much and how quickly things have changed.
Asked about the contrast, White House spokesperson Allison Schuster in a statement called the UFC event “one of the most entertaining nights in American history.”
When he turned 80, Biden was the oldest president in U.S. history, and was months away from launching a reelection bid that he would ultimately abandon after a disastrous debate against Trump and mutiny among Democrats.
Trump has now supplanted Biden as the oldest person to be elected U.S. president. He’s constitutionally barred from running again, yet constantly toys with the notion. That’s despite polls showing rising public skepticism about Trump’s mental and physical health — recalling concerns Biden faced as he turned 80.
A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in April found that less than half of U.S. adults think Trump has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively as president.
The White House countered with a lengthy statement from Trump’s former White House physician, Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson, saying Trump’s “stamina, focus, and strength are exceptional and on display every day.” Jackson added that polling concerns were “being propagated by the same biased, liberal, Trump-hating press that completely ignored the absolute cognitive and physical disaster that was President Biden.”
‘Bread and circuses’ — Trump-style
The UFC is an apt metaphor for Trump’s pugilistic political style. He is as big a fan of cage-match-style politics as he is of cage-fighting itself.
But Trump has also long been a master of political misdirection, purposely presenting people with something other than his presidency to focus on when things aren’t going well.
With the war in Iran having kept gas prices high and renewing concerns about inflation while Trump’s job approval ratings fall, a White House birthday party unlike anything America has ever seen can certainly qualify as a diversion.
“This is all distraction,” said Mike Fontaine, a classics professor at Cornell University, who likened it to the gladiatorial games of Imperial Rome, when combatants brutalized each other for public entertainment meant to bolster rulers’ popularity and quell potential unrest.
“This is a classic strategy,” Fontaine said. “In ancient Rome, the phrase would be, ‘bread and circuses.'”
Trump says the UFC is paying for the event and while its full costs haven’t been divulged, the National Park Service said in a court filing that $60-plus million and tens of thousands of hours of labor went into it, while seven government agencies have “allocated significant resources and manpower.”
UFC also announced that it was adding as an official partner for the event World Liberty Financial to create a special $250,000 athlete bonus pool for Sunday night’s winners. The cryptocurrency company is co-owned by the Trump family, founded with the president’s special diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff and run by his son, Zach.
The arrangement further blurs lines between the Trump family’s financial interests and the events and construction projects the president has prioritized and used government resources to pull off.
Still, Fontaine said that when it comes to a personal flair for pageantry, the president’s second-term tendency to lean into “hardcore masculinity and brute fighting” is marrying the UFC’s blood sport with Trump’s trademark humor and enduring sense of showmanship.
“President Trump has a once-in-a-generation talent for this stuff,” he said.

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Lamine Yamal has changed. The schoolboy at Euro 2024 is now a World Cup superstar

Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app.
At his first major international tournament, Lamine Yamal was a 16-year-old schoolboy who had to finish his homework in between matches as Spain were crowned European champions.
Yamal, who turned 17 the day before the Euro 2024 final victory over England, was studying for his ESO exams, a Spanish educational equivalent to GCSEs in the United Kingdom or a United States high-school diploma.
He had just finished his first senior campaign with Barcelona, with whom he made his debut aged 15 in April 2023, and that summer, he shone even brighter on the bigger stage — scoring a spectacular goal against France in the semi-finals and being voted young player of the tournament.
Two years on, he still has his cheeky smile and he still wears braces, but his profile has changed. Now, he is an international celebrity.
Yamal has starred in several commercial campaigns in the build-up to the World Cup, sharing the limelight of Adidas’ big promotional play alongside actor Timothee Chalamet, Argentina icon Lionel Messi, rapper Bad Bunny and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham.
Last Thursday, he was announced as UNICEF’s newest goodwill ambassador, following in the footsteps of Messi and David Beckham.
The boy from Rocafonda — an underprivileged neighbourhood of Mataro, the small coastal Catalan town where Yamal grew up — now inhabits an altogether different plane of superstardom. And he is making it his own.
At Euro 2024, Yamal turned up with a backpack full of schoolwork. When joining up with his Spain team-mates in late May, he arrived in a Chanel outfit that was picked out by his private fashion stylist. From the handles of his matching handbag hung an exclusive set of pink Beats headphones that are not yet available to purchase.
Under an Instagram post shared with his 43.3million followers, Spanish pop star Rosalia (28m followers) was among those appreciating his look, writing: “Estilazo (incredible style).”
This is the new Yamal. He is the best at Barcelona, the best with Spain. For many, he is the most exciting player at this entire World Cup — the game’s biggest stage of all.
Yamal has never held himself back. Earlier this week, he spoke on his YouTube channel about switching from Nike sponsorship to Adidas back in 2023 because he saw a better platform to increase his profile.
“Nike had Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, and I saw a huge gap for me to become the new face of Adidas,” he said. “I was 15. I trusted myself, and it was the best decision.”
Nor has Yamal shown signs of it negatively affecting his game. He finished second in the Ballon d’Or for 2025 in September, just behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele, and has only gone from strength to strength with Barca, scoring 24 goals and providing 18 assists over this past season — his best return — as Hansi Flick’s side retained their Liga title.
Yamal has already wowed football’s most dedicated fans with several incredible individual performances, including at Euro 2024 and in big Champions League games.
Watching his displays with Barca more regularly has been a joy.
He has always been a silky winger, gliding with the ball stuck to his feet from the right flank of the attack, but most crucially, his intelligence and decision-making have now reached a different level.
His football IQ seems to know no bounds. He can read every situation in the game and has added even more end product. It makes it hard to put a ceiling on his potential.
“It was good for me not to win that Ballon d’Or,” Yamal said on his YouTube channel. “It helped me keep growing. It’s possible it was not my time.”
Speaking to DAZN in May, his Spain team-mate Rodri said: “He will surely win the Ballon d’Or one day. He is already a star. You think about everything he has ahead of him and it’s incredible. He is not just the future — he is a reality now, too.”
In a separate interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Ser last week, Rodri also praised Yamal’s attitude and maturity as he recounted an early anecdote from their training base in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
As one of the group’s senior figures, Rodri helped set up a team dinner. Yamal came to him to ask permission not to attend “as he wanted to stay at the hotel and rest to be ready for the World Cup”, Rodri said.
“He is so focused. I see him in perfect form,” the Manchester City midfielder added.
That reflects another change.
During Euro 2024, Yamal was often described by team-mates as a childish but refreshing presence; always keen on messing around, cracking a joke, and having fun. In short, what you expect from a 16-year-old.
Yamal is now notably driven by a broader self-awareness. He knows what he has become, enjoys it and wants to make the best of it, but he is also calmer; still up for a laugh but equally focused on what he has to do in training.
“I see him more as a man now, rather than a kid,” said Spain and Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella last week, speaking on another Spanish radio station, Cadena COPE.
“He has had to deal with certain situations being super young and he’s done that really well. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have been able to cope like he does. When I was his age, I was a nobody playing for Barcelona’s B team — but in my head, I thought I was already a star.
“When all my friends ask me about Lamine Yamal, my reply is always that he’s doing amazing. Taking into account that, at 18, he is one of the most famous people around, that he can’t even go for a walk down the street and how naturally he deals with it, I can only admire him.”
Yamal, who turns 19 on July 13, the day before the World Cup semi-finals, has not played for club or country since suffering a hamstring injury in a 1-0 home win over Celta Vigo on April 22. Spain fans across the country held their breath as he limped off the pitch. There were real fears that it could lead to him missing the World Cup.
The following day, tests showed a muscular tear — fortunately without signs of any tendon damage. He would have missed the tournament with that.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente included Yamal in the squad he announced on May 25, despite there being a chance of him having to miss their first two games. His recovery process has been extremely carefully managed, and the player did not miss a single session at Barcelona’s training ground.
He’s also been closely monitored by physiotherapist Fernando Galan, who works with Yamal both at Barca and with Spain. Galan is at the national team’s base camp too, assigned to have a special focus on the forward.
That care and dedication — as well as the genetics of a young body — has made for a quick recovery. Yamal is now expected to be available for Monday’s Group H opener against Cape Verde, although Barca would prefer De la Fuente to wait a bit longer before reintroducing him. Yamal’s total desire to make it back in time has played a big part, too. He is expected to start on the bench, though.
Those close to Yamal say he sees the World Cup as the biggest competition in world football — much more than a Champions League or any domestic trophy. Not taking part was simply not an option.
Now, the scene is set for him to make an even bigger splash than he did at the Euros, this time in front of a truly global audience. The World Cup is all about moments like these. Pele, Diego Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe each wrote historic chapters in their football stories at this tournament.
Yamal is Spain’s irreplaceable genius, an exciting attacking threat with no equal, a player De la Fuente has built his team around — which helps explain why they are, for many, favourites to win.
On a personal level, he has already achieved so much in these transformative past two years. If he fulfils expectations this summer, his standing will go fully stratospheric.

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