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Popular Spain winger, Lamine Yamal, has identified Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the player that has “aura”.

Yamal was speaking ahead of their 2026 World Cup quarter-final clash against Belgium.

The Barcelona teenager snubbed other big names like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane, picking Ronaldo as the footballer with a big personality.

“What is aura? In football, Cristiano Ronaldo,” Yamal said.

“Aura is a person who gives off, something like when they arrive, it’s like… WOW. For example, Brad Pitt or like that.

“In football, Cristiano would be a good example of aura.”

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France captain Kylian Mbappe has disclosed that the controvery surrounding a VAR review caused him to lose concentration before missing a first-half penalty in his side’s 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mbappe was handed the opportunity to put France ahead after he was brought down inside the penalty area by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui.

However, following a lengthy VAR check, the French star saw his spot-kick comfortably saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, leaving the score goalless.

Despite the early setback, Mbappe responded in style after the break. In the 60th minute, he curled a superb strike into the net to give Les Bleus the breakthrough, before Ousmane Dembele doubled France’s advantage six minutes later to seal their place in the semi-finals.

Reflecting on his missed penalty after the match, Mbappe admitted that the uncertainty surrounding the decision disrupted his mental preparation.

“I took the penalty badly, but it was a difficult situation because there was confusion,” he said.

“The referee first told me it was a penalty, so I started preparing to take it. Then he came back and said it might not be a penalty.

“I lost my focus. I’ve never experienced a situation like that before.”

Although Mbappe failed to convert from the spot, his second-half goal helped France overcome Morocco and continue their quest for another World Cup title. His comments highlighted the psychological impact that prolonged VAR reviews and uncertainty can have on players, even in the biggest moments of a match.

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Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi admitted France deserved their 2-0 win after the Atlas Lions bowed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the quarter-finals at Boston Stadium on Thursday night, July 9.

France booked their place in the semi-finals thanks to Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

Mbappe made amends for an earlier penalty miss by netting his eighth goal of the tournament before setting up Dembele for his fifth, sealing a last-four clash with either Belgium or Spain.

Ouahbi acknowledged that his side struggled to cope with Didier Deschamps’ team, particularly before the halftime break.

“We have to admit we faced a very good opponent. We struggled a lot in the first half, and [Yassine] Bounou’s penalty save kept us in the game,” FIFA.com quoted Ouahbi.

“We defended better in the second half and were calmer in possession. In the end, it was an individual piece of brilliance from [Kylian] Mbappe.

“It was a difficult feeling, but we have to keep working. We need more options on the bench when we have injuries, absences and fatigue, but of course we’re disappointed.”

Despite the defeat, the Morocco boss insisted the team’s progress in recent years gives supporters every reason to remain hopeful.

“The future will be bright if we continue like this, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t want to win today. Of course, we wanted to win today. We did everything we could to win, but we faced a very difficult opponent,” added Ouahbi.

“It’s a disappointment, of course, but we’ll keep working for the future. We know we represent more than just one country. We represent the Moroccan people, and many countries across Asia and Africa. Many people see themselves in this team, and we’ll keep working to win titles in the future.”