'A very, very special player' - Yamal makes Euros history

Imagine playing for your state successful a awesome tourney aged 16. Lamine Yamal has done conscionable that.

The Barcelona prima became nan youngest man to play astatine nan European Championship arsenic he played a cardinal domiciled successful Spain's vibrant 3-0 win against Croatia connected Saturday.

He was up against Real Madrid's 38-year-old Luka Modric, who was 21 erstwhile Yamal was born, had conscionable won his 2nd Croatian convention title and had made 14 appearances for Croatia.

But nan tricky winger - afloat sanction Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana - made a insult of his property arsenic he continually danced his measurement done Croatia's defence, helping his state make a existent connection successful their Euro 2024 opener.

Yamal's wicked transverse created Dani Carvajal's headed 3rd goal, and he could easy person scored himself had it not been for bully goalkeeping by Dominik Livakovic.

Having already played 51 times for Barcelona, scoring 7 goals, possibly we shouldn't beryllium amazed to spot Yamal mixing it pinch nan very best.

Those who cognize him champion surely aren't.

An outrageously precocious talent, Yamal will move 17 connected 13 July, nan time earlier nan final.

The erstwhile youngest subordinate astatine nan Euros was Poland's Kacper Kozlowski - 17 years and 246 days - successful a 1-1 group-stage tie against Spain successful Seville successful June 2021, but you get nan emotion Yamal could break a fewer much records successful nan coming days.

“He will do things we cannot yet imagine,” says Ivan Carrasco, who trained him astatine inferior level.

“I retrieve him arsenic a boy who was very alert of his talent. In sport, talented group thin to beryllium very selfish, but not Yamal.

“I saw a generous kid who did not activity recognition. As a coach you sometimes thought, 'what tin I thatch him if he does things that I can't moreover ideate from nan bench?'

“The person you are to Lamine, nan much you realise that nan explanation of ‘decisive’ falls short. He is simply a very, very typical footballer."

Former Barcelona newsman and existent Sport TV journalist Jaume Marcet remembers nan time he knew he was watching a prodigy.

Marcet, who is an master of Barcelona grassroots football, said: "The astir sadistic show I person seen successful grassroots shot was from Lamine successful nan last of nan Catalunya cadet tournament.

"I had seen Messi execute brutally, but ne'er thing for illustration what Lamine did that match, pinch kids older than him. That time he did everything."

Yamal's trademark 304 ceremony is formed by angling 3 fingers connected his correct hand, forming a '0' pinch his thumb and forefinger, and angling 4 fingers connected his near hand.

It is simply a homage to nan neighbourhood wherever he was raised, Rocafonda 304, an area of Barcelona seldom seen by nan millions of visitors who flock to Catalonia's superior and 1 of nan astir deprived zones, not conscionable successful Catalonia but successful nan full of nan Spain.

The boy of a mother from Equatorial Guinea and a begetter from Morocco, aft being spotted by Barcelona arsenic a seven-year-old playing successful nan actual parks successful Rocafonda, his begetter took him by nan manus into Barcelona, wherever he asked: "Do you want my boy to play for Barcelona?"

When they said "yes", he replied: "Well, amended him first."

Yamal moved into Barcelona's La Masia academy, contempt nan adjacent proximity of wherever he lived.

In an question and reply pinch Sport, Xavi Martin, erstwhile head of La Masia, remembers nan gathering pinch nan player, his parents and nan supplier astatine nan time, Ivan de la Pena, truthful that nan boy could unrecorded successful La Masia.

"We met connected a Tuesday and connected Saturday he was already packing his bags," he said.

Yamal's occurrence is not conscionable his, but that of an full area until now ignored, decried, demeaned.

He is simply a beacon of dream for group who spot successful his occurrence that dreams tin travel true, that thing is possible.

Yamal fell successful emotion pinch shot watching his begetter and older relative play successful nan parkland other wherever he lived and wherever he would beryllium spotted.

"I spent much clip astatine nan parkland than astatine home. Every clip I group ft successful nan thoroughfare it was to play football. These experiences enactment pinch you," he said.

The records conscionable support tumbling. He is nan youngest to person played for Barcelona - astatine 15 years and 290 days - since 15-year-old Armando Sagi successful 1922.

At nan property of 16 years and 57 days, he became nan youngest subordinate and goalscorer for Spain.

Yamal's talent has besides not gone unnoticed by nan very personification whom galore group are daring to comparison him excessively - Lionel Messi.

In a WhatsApp connection to 1 of his entourage, nan Argentine maestro commented: "How easy does Lamine make it look?"

Messi has already mentioned Yamal erstwhile he was asked astir nan players who will conflict for nan Ballon d'Or successful nan coming years.

The subordinate himself is realistic. "There will ne'er beryllium different for illustration Messi," Yamal has replied to nan countless comparisons betwixt him and nan Barcelona legend.

He whitethorn beryllium right, but these days location is simply a immense banner that tin beryllium seen astatine Barcelona location games pinch a image of Yamal doing nan 304 motion and a logo that states "El futuro nary espera" (The early won't wait).

The remainder of this summertime will dictate if nan early has already arrived.