The Hunt for the Next Lamine Yamal

The Hunt for the Next Lamine Yamal (2026)

Documentary

They are teenagers and the future of football. SVT chronicles the talent search, a process in which the majority of children are rejected. During the World Cup, 18-year-old Lamine Yamal is one of the tournament's major stars. Meanwhile, an intensive effort is underway to nurture the next generation of stars. At Benfica, players as young as five are scouted. Denmark was an early adopter of viewing academy players as commodities. In the UK, the situation ended so tragically for two young boys that they took their own lives. At home, an intense debate is raging, with the push for early elite-level development dividing the football community.

Director: Johanna Bäckström Lerneby

Casts

	Ida Forsgren as Self - Narrator
	Nazif Inoussa as Self
	Maxine Langton as Self
	Charlie Adam as Self
	Kyle Walker as Self
	Emir Kujović as Self
	Rui Silva as Self
	Thomas Hasselgren as Self
	Jacob Larsen as Self
	Mario Amini as Self
	Simon Åström as Self
	Neo Jönsson as Self
	Luca Scanlon as Self
	Max Noble as Self
	Ricardo Prudencio as Self
	Ritchie Humphreys as Self
	Chris Casper as Self
	Alexander Sandahl as Self
	Fredrik Skavlan as Self (archive footage)
	John Guidetti as Self (archive footage)
	Magdalena Andersson as Self (archive footage)
	Per Morberg as Self (archive footage)
	Patrik Brenning as Self (archive footage)
	Zlatan Ibrahimović as Self (archive footage)
	Rio Ferdinand as Self (archive footage)
	Lamine Yamal as Self (archive footage)

Crew