Was it wise for Spain to play Lamine Yamal against Cabo Verde?

The sight of Lamine Yamal making his World Cup debut on Monday was one to behold. But was it the right call by Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente?

Yamal had spent the past several weeks recovering from a hamstring injury suffered while playing for his club side, Barcelona. The 18-year-old is considered the heir apparent to the likes of fading superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and before the injury he was set to become the focal point of a strong Spanish side considered to be among the favourites to win this summer's tournament.

However, Yamal's injury threw his participation in the World Cup in doubt, at least for the group stage. The teenager missed Barcelona's final six matches of the season and did not play in either of Spain's two pre-World Cup friendlies as he raced against time to recover from an injury that has a very high risk of recurrence if not dealt with properly.

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And so, Spain's medical staff rightly kept Yamal away from the pitch in the lead-up to this summer's competition, with his healing process the subject of massive interest within his home nation and around the world.

What worked in Spain's favour was the scheduling, as La Roja were drawn into Group H and thus not in action until Day 5 of the World Cup, giving Yamal a valuable few extra days to inch closer to full health.

And on Sunday, De La Fuente delivered the news that football fans were yearning for.

“We are following the indications of medical staff from Barcelona, his club, and also from the Spanish national team, with the fitness coaches," the manager said at Spain's pre-match press conference ahead of Monday's match against Cabo Verde. 

"Everything says that Lamine Yamal is ready to play [Monday]. We don’t know how much. It is a matter of how the game is evolving, the game situation, that gives you a hint of when he might jump on the pitch, but he is in ideal condition to play.”

The Spaniards were expected to run rampant on Monday in the Group H opener, perhaps even running up a scoreline similar to Sunday's Germany vs. Curaçao match in which the Germans cruised to a 7-1 victory.

Such an outing would be the perfect scenario to bring Yamal into the fold — an already-decided, low stakes final few minutes in which both teams have already accepted the result and are moving at half-speed, allowing the Barça wunderkind to ease into the speed of a real match without anything on the line.

Well, no one seemed to tell the Cape Verdeans of the plan, because they defended with their lives against their fancied opponents and kept Spain off the scoreboard. Yamal entered a match that, with just 19 minutes left to play, was still very much up for grabs.

Instead of stepping onto the pitch with no pressure to perform, Yamal was suddenly thrusted into a game in which his prodigious attacking talents were needed. Spain had found no answers for the Blue Sharks' stubborn back line, spearheaded by ageless goalkeeper Vozinha, and Yamal was suddenly being asked to create magic to help avert disaster.

To his credit, Yamal didn't shy from the unexpected responsibilty of pulling his team out of the doldrums, as the teenager demanded the ball and looked to drive past his defenders on the right-hand side of the field. He showed flashes of the brilliance that have made him the sport's king in waiting, but for the most part he battled with the rust that was to be expected from anyone playing in his first match in nearly eight weeks.

The bursts were slightly less explosive. The cuts weren't as sharp. The passes were slightly off.

It was obvious that Yamal was nowhere near 100 percent, and that would have been OK if not for the fact that Spain were suddenly relying on him to spare their blushes. 

On any other day, the Spanish would have been introducing their young superstar into a stress-free match, with the result long decided. But on Monday, with Cabo Verde deciding to not play along with the script, Yamal's reintroduction required actual effort and strain from the teen, something that was absolutely not part of the plan.

Will it come back to hurt Spain and their 18-year-old whiz kid?  Probably not, given the amount of medical scrutiny he's been under. But with the type of injury that Lamine Yamal is returning from, it was certainly a risk to put him out there.

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