Originally Posted by BBC News
Imagine playing for your country in a major tournament aged 16. Lamine Yamal has done just that.
The Barcelona star became the youngest man to play at the European Championship as he played a key role in Spain’s vibrant 3-0 win against Croatia on Saturday.
He was up against Real Madrid’s 38-year-old Luka Modric, who was 21 when Yamal was born, had just won his second Croatian league title and had made 14 appearances for Croatia.
But the tricky winger – full name Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana – made a mockery of his age as he continually danced his way through Croatia’s defence, helping his country make a real statement in their Euro 2024 opener.
Yamal’s wicked cross created Dani Carvajal’s headed third goal, and he could easily have scored himself had it not been for good goalkeeping by Dominik Livakovic.
Having already played 51 times for Barcelona, scoring seven goals, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to see Yamal mixing it with the very best.
Those who know him best certainly aren’t.
Lamine Yamal (left) became the youngest player to play at a European Championship
An outrageously precocious talent, Yamal will turn 17 on 13 July, the day before the final.
The previous youngest player at the Euros was Poland’s Kacper Kozlowski – 17 years and 246 days – in a 1-1 group-stage draw against Spain in Seville in June 2021, but you get the feeling Yamal could break a few more records in the coming days. Read Full Article
“He will do things we cannot yet imagine,”