New Delhi: The 2026 FIFA World Cup has already seen several milestones reached or new ones set. The latest addition to this feat is 18-year-old Lamine Yamal, who has joined an exclusive group in the World Cup. The Spanish sensation has produced 30 successful dribbles, becoming only the third teenager to achieve that record since 1966, along with Kylian Mbappe and Jamal Musiala.
While Mbappe and Musiala achieved the milestone at 19, Yamal reached it at 18.
Yamal completed 30 successful dribbles in four matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He hit the ground running with an electric group stage, culminating in a historic masterclass against Austria in the Round of 32, where he registered 10 successful dribbles in a single match.
Apart from securing 10 dribbles, Yamal also had 14 touches in the opposition penalty box against Austria.
Unlike other touchline wingers who rely solely on raw acceleration, Yamal reduces his speed at crucial moments, drops his body to wrongfoot defenders and cuts inside to his preferred left foot to manipulate in one-on-one situations.
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Musiala’s composure, Mbappe’s speed
Ahead of Yamal stand Musiala and Mbappe with 32 and 50 successful dribbles respectively.
Musiala completed the feat in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The German midfield maestro crossed the 30-dribble threshold in just three group stage matches before Germany’s early exit. Against Costa Rica itself, he completed 13 successful take-ons—the most by any teenager in World Cup history.
Musiala’s 2022 campaign with Germany was a tactical masterclass in the midfield—the engine of a football pitch. Playing as a central attacking midfielder or inverted winger, he operated in congested areas to free his teammates.
Musiala believes in long, lanky strides combined with impossibly tight ball manipulation. He kept the ball glued to his feet, changing angles at the very last second to deceive defenders.
Meanwhile, sitting on the top of the list is French star Mbappe, who took seven matches to hit his staggering 50 dribbles in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He terrorised defences with his raw speed, including the final. His performance peaked in the Round of 16 clash against Argentina, when he scored a brace.
That year, Mbappe relied on the typical knock-and-run dribbling method. He knocked the ball 5-10 yards ahead of a defender and simply outran them. He did not need stepovers; his successful dribbles came from shifting his weight and exploiting the space behind an opponent’s high defensive line.
While Germany has been eliminated in the Round of 32, France and Spain will be facing Paraguay and Portugal in the pre-quarter finals.