Spain’s young sensation, Lamine Yamal, matches Nigerian legend Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha’s 1998 iconic World Cup dribbling record. The young star etched his name alongside the Nigerian legend after nearly three decades.
According to sources, the 18-year-old Barcelona and Spain forward is averaging 12 successful dribbles per 90 minutes at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, given he started off the campaign injured. He set the highest rate recorded by any player with over 200 minutes played since Okocha, achieving the exact same number averaged. Yamal matched the record in Spain’s round of 32 face-off against Austria, where he dropped a man-of-the-match performance, completing 5 dribbles, firing six shots, and tormenting the Austrian defense from the right flank.
Okocha’s dribbling brilliance at the 1998 France World Cup remains a talk of the street where he played. He was central for the Nigerian team that pulled a 3-2 comeback against Spain. His performance against Italy at the USA 1994 also got people talking, where he completed 15 dribbles, which still holds the record for the most dribbles completed in a World Cup match.
The dribbling record adds to Lamine Yamal’s growing milestone on the other end. He is the youngest player since 1966 to record both 10-plus touches in the opposition box and 10-plus completed dribbles in a single World Cup match, and Spain have won all eight major tournament matches he’s started.
With Spain cruising into the Round of 16 of the World Cup tournament and Yamal achieving more milestones, comparisons to Okocha’s dazzling France ’98 run are only getting louder, which is a fitting tribute to the Nigerian trickster 28 years later.
