LAMINE YAMAL’S team-mates will throw a small party to celebrate his 17th birthday on Saturday – hoping for an even bigger one just 24 hours later.
The Spain sensation turns 17 tomorrow, having already claimed a slice of history at Euro 2024.
Yamal became the youngest ever goalscorer at a European Championship with his stunning semi-final strike against France.
By simply starting the game the Barcelona youngster also beat Pele’s record as the youngest player to appear in a major tournament semi-final.
Teammate Dani Olmo said: “We’re going to celebrate with a cake, probably, and with a song.”
He added: “Lamine is an amazing player. He has shown already what, at 16 years, I think not many players in history did.
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“What is most important is his mentality, his way of thinking.
“He’s calm, he’s a good guy, he’s a good team-mate as well.
“He’s working for the team, bringing the individual quality to the team, which is the most important thing.
“At the end, everything that’s coming will be good for him and for us.”
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Inside the baffling, brilliant story of Lamine Yamal – from being bathed by Messi to doing homework while taking Euros by storm
LAMINE YAMAL has confirmed his status as football’s next superstar at Euro 2024 – but has only been playing 11-a-side games for four years, write Jack Rosser.
Spain’s incredible 16-year-old bent home the goal of the tournament so far against France as La Roja sealed the spot in the final.
But his first five years in Barcelona’s academy were spent playing seven-a-side football, up until the age of 12 in 2020 when he finally got a crack at 11-a-side games.
Yamal’s story is baffling, brilliant and barely believable in equal measure.
He is a boy born to a Moroccan father and a mother from Equatorial Guinea, who turns 17 tomorrow and was cradled by footballing royalty at just six months old.
Staggering pictures of Yamal as a baby being held and bathed by Messi, taken for a Barcelona charity calendar 16 years ago, resurfaced this week.
He did not restrict his brushes with greatness to Barcelona either, with footage of Yamal as an academy player walking as a mascot with Spain and Real Madrid icon Sergio Ramos at an El Clasico in 2016.
There is a touch of fate about this gem, Spain’s “little MVP”, as team-mate Nico Williams has dubbed him.
Yamal has been doing homework in his spare time and received exam results during the tournament. He passed, obviously.
Now he’s the youngest ever goalscorer at the Euros, also becoming the youngest player to ever start a major semi-final – claiming that title from Pele.
But it’s Yamal’s humble approach on and off the pitch that most impresses everyone he meets.
And France star Adrien Rabiot probably felt quite embarrassed as he boarded his plane back home from Germany.
He had tried to intimidate Yamal ahead of their semi-final clash – telling Yamal he “needs to do more.”
Was this good enough, then? Yamal responded with a goal for the ages and a man of the match performance.
A season which started with a pre-season game against Tottenham where Yamal excelled but was overshadowed by Oliver Skipp scoring a brace will end on the biggest stage European football has to offer on Sunday.
From being outshone by Skipp to eclipsing Pele’s records is not a bad year’s work – just imagine what he will do when he grows up.
Read all about the incredible rise of Lamine Yamal in full…
Fellow winger Nico Williams, who is Yamal’s closest friend in the Spain squad, celebrated his 22nd birthday on Friday.
The two close pals could even end up playing together at Barcelona next season, with the Spanish giants looking to sign Williams from Athletic Bilbao.
Together the pair have notched up six goal contributions in Germany this summer and have looked like the biggest threats for Spain’s red hot side.
But they will have the tough task of facing off against England’s resolute defence on Sunday.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
