One of the most extraordinary and refreshing stories of Euro 2024 has been the meteoric rise of Lamine Yamal, who continues to break new ground and demolish record after record in Germany. The more casual fan may not have heard of Yamal heading into this summer ’s tournament but the teenage sensation has put his name up in lights with a string of magnificent performances and is on the cusp of national hero status in his native Spain. Luis de la Fuente’s men – or, in Yamal’s case, boys – have stood head and shoulders above the rest over the last month and the Barcelona starlet has been their MVP at the, quite frankly, absurd the age of 16 (Yes, SIXTEEN).
Just let that sink in. To put that into some sort of perspective, Yamal has had to do homework in between Spain’s matches and still requires parental authorisation in order to travel overseas with the national team. The adage, ‘If you’re good enough, you’re old enough’, hardly does Yamal’s situation justice considering the breathtaking manner in which the teen has taken the tournament by storm.
After all, it was the youngster’s dancing feet and stunning, staggering, swerving, whatever-you-want-to-call-it strike that kick-started Spain’s fightback in a pulsating semi-final against France in Munich on Tuesday evening. The jaw-dropping effort saw Yamal become the youngest ever scorer at either a Euros or a World Cup, eclipsing the previous record set by a 17-year-old Pele back in 1958. This evening, he i.
