Promising Spanish star Lamine Yamal is on a path to becoming a future football great after shining in the current edition of the European Nations Cup (Euro 2024). Yamal scored a stunning goal in Spain’s 2-1 semi-final win over France on Saturday, putting himself on a par with the late Brazilian legend Pele.
After providing three assists during his time with Spain, Yamal fired the ball into the top left corner of the French goal in the 21st minute to score the equaliser for the Matadors. At 16 years and 362 days, Yamal became the youngest goalscorer ever at both the European Championship and the World Cup. He overtook Switzerland’s Jan Vonlanthen, the previous record holder for the youngest goalscorer at the European Championship, and Pele, the youngest goalscorer in World Cup history.
Yamal is preparing to celebrate his 17th birthday next Saturday, but the real celebrations may come the following day if Spain lift the European Nations Cup for the fourth time if they win the final match hosted by the German capital, Berlin.
“I came here to win every game so I can celebrate my birthday here in Germany with all my teammates,” Yamal told reporters after being named man of the match against France. “It’s a dream come true. I’m happy we’ve reached the final, but we haven’t done the most important thing yet, which is to win the title.” Spain are aiming to equal the record for the most European Championship titles, currently shared with Germany with three.
The rising star spoke about his goal in France, saying: “I was aiming for the top corner when I shot and that made me feel very happy. I try not to think too much about what is happening. I just want to enjoy myself and help the team.”
The Barcelona forward is the youngest player ever to play at the European Championship, having last year become the youngest player to score for Spain at the age of 16 years and 57 days in the team’s 7-1 win over Georgia, having made his debut for the Catalan club at the age of 15.
Mbappe admits poor performance in European Championship
France captain Kylian Mbappe admitted his team “didn’t do enough” in their 2-1 defeat to Spain, saying he was disappointed with the disappointing performance. “We didn’t do enough to reach the final. Spain played better than us, they deserved to reach the final and we’re going home,” the Real Madrid-bound player told reporters.
France scored only four goals in the tournament, including two own goals.
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