At the age of 16, 17 when his peers were still sitting in school, Lamine Yamal was already a key player on the journey to conquer the 4th EURO title for the Spanish national team.
In just over a year since his debut for Barcelona’s first team at the age of 15, let’s review the historic milestones that the young man born in 2007 has achieved in the most prestigious European playground.
The youngest player to compete in the EURO finals
Lamine Yamal started in 6 out of 7 matches for the Spanish national team in this summer’s tournament, including the starting match against Croatia on the opening day, which made the Barcelona forward the youngest player to play in the history of EURO at the age of 16 and 338 days, surpassing Kacper Kozlowski (17 years 246 days) and Jude Bellingham (17 years 349 days). Of course, by having played in all 7 matches of EURO 2024 with Spain, every minute Lamine Yamal played has entered the history of world football. He became the youngest player to play in the knockout stage of the continent’s number 1 tournament, the youngest to play in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final of the EURO arena. In fact, if we consider both major tournaments including EURO and the World Cup, Lamine Yamal also broke the record for the youngest player to play in a match set by football king Pele in 1958.
Contributions to historic goals
Indeed, playing in a major tournament like EURO at Lamine Yamal’s age is already incredibly remarkable, but this young man can even create things that make fans remember him even more. Excellently securing a starting position in the Spanish team, the impact that the 17-year-old player made a few days ago is immense. In the opening match against Croatia, Lamine Yamal made a trademark cross from the right wing to help his senior Dani Carvajal score, increasing the score to 3-0 for Spain, thereby securing the victory in the first half. The assist in his debut match also helped Yamal set the record for the youngest player to make an assist at the EURO arena (16 years 338 days).
In the subsequent matches, Lamine Yamal continued to actively contribute to the team’s overall play, but the audience still eagerly awaited the 2007-born boy to score after a series of clear missed opportunities. Fortunately, this anticipation was rewarded in a very deserving manner in the semi-final match against France. In the 21st minute at the Allianz Arena, the under-17 forward created a perfect curling shot that left Mike Maignan helpless. The superb rainbow goal made Lamine Yamal enter history as the youngest player to score in a EURO/World Cup semi-final match, at the age of 16 years and 362 days, officially breaking Pele’s record once again, a record that the football king had held for nearly 7 decades.
The beginning of a future superstar
Ending the EURO 2024 journey like a dream with the Spanish national team, Lamine Yamal deservedly won the Outstanding Young Player award. In a tournament featuring many of Europe’s top young talents such as Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Kobbie Mainoo, and even his teammate Nico Williams, they all had to play second fiddle to the matured young forward from La Masia in terms of influence on the team. Yamal’s goal contribution index includes 1 goal and 4 assists, the highest number of assists in a EURO season, equaling the record of Czech Republic legend Karel Poborsky (also with 4 assists). In fact, the number of goal involvements in the knockout stages of major tournaments by the young Catalan lad is on par with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has participated in 6 EURO and 5 World Cups.
Not only possessing exceptional talent on the field, Lamine Yamal is also highly regarded for his knowledge and ethics. Surely, the fans following the journey of the Spanish national team have heard about the story of this young boy having to… do homework during the EURO. Many young stars in the past have failed to develop due to losing touch with reality, but looking at the progress and humility that Lamine Yamal has shown since the world knew about him, both Barcelona and Spain can surely place their trust in a star that will shine brightly in the near future.
