France defender Konate responds to Lamine Yamal: ‘He can say whatever he wants’

France and Spain meet in the 2026 World Cup semifinals on Tuesday, July 15th, and Lamine Yamal has already turned up the heat ahead of kickoff. Les Bleus defender Ibrahima Konate was asked about the Spanish star’s comments and did not hold back: “He can say whatever he wants.”

Fresh off Spain’s win over Belgium, Yamal wasted no time setting the tone for the semifinal: “If anyone should be afraid, it’s them—we’ve eliminated them. We are two great teams, for me the two best, but we have absolutely no fear. Since the World Cup started, everyone has been waiting for this game, and I really wanted it to get here. We are the two best national teams in the World Cup. With absolutely no fear, if anyone can go into a match against France with confidence, it’s us.“

The Barcelona teenager was also pointing to recent history, with Spain having beaten France in both the Euro 2024 semifinal and the 2025 Nations League final. The margins were tight each time, 2-1 and 5-4 respectively, but the results went Spain’s way on both occasions, and now the two sides meet again at the same stage of a major tournament.

Konate replies to Yamal

While Yamal is experiencing his first World Cup, several of his French opponents are either already world champions from 2018 or carry the memory of falling short in the 2022 final. Konate belongs to the latter group, and he responded to the Spanish teenager’s remarks with measured firmness.

Speaking Sunday at a press conference at Bentley University, Konate was asked whether France were intimidated by Yamal’s words: “No, no, no… In all honesty, we don’t listen to what’s being said. You shouldn’t be afraid of anyone; we need to remain humble and not fall into that trap, especially at this stage of the competition.“

The newly minted Real Madrid defender, who will face Yamal as a club rival in La Liga next season, closed with a pointed message of his own. “Now, he can say whatever he wants, we are going to try to prepare the best we can. And at the end of the match, we’ll see who it favors,” Konate added.

France’s record against Spain

Over the past decade, France and Spain have established themselves as two of the most dominant nations in world soccer, neither dropping out of the FIFA top 10 throughout that stretch. In head-to-head meetings, however, Spain has had the upper hand when it mattered most.

The two sides have met four times in the last ten years, with Spain winning three of those encounters to France’s one. Les Bleus’ lone victory came in the 2021 UEFA Nations League final, a 2-1 win, while Spain’s most recent triumph in that 2017 friendly, 2-0, completed the overall picture in their favor.

Since Yamal’s arrival in the Spanish setup, La Roja has extended that dominance, beating France in both the Euro 2024 semifinal and the 2025 Nations League final. Adding to France’s concern is Yamal’s personal record in head-to-head elimination games against Kylian Mbappe, with the young winger having won all five of their meetings in knockout competition.