Yamal's unbelievable year of records... can he add one more?

Breaking Pele's 66-year-old record. Achieving things Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could only person dreamed of astatine his age.

It is adjacent to opportunity Lamine Yamal has shaken up nan crippled of shot successful nan past twelvemonth - and he could person his finest infinitesimal yet connected Sunday.

The youngest personification to play astatine nan Euros, to assistance a extremity astatine nan Euros and to people a extremity astatine nan Euros is bidding to go nan youngest personification to triumph nan Euros erstwhile his Spain squad return connected England successful Berlin.

Not only is he breaking those records, but he is doing it pinch style. With 1 extremity and 3 assists, only team-mate Dani Olmo has been progressive successful much goals astatine Euro 2024.

It is not conscionable potential, he already seems for illustration 1 of nan astir breathtaking players successful nan world.

After his goal-of-the-tournament contender successful nan semi-final triumph complete France, erstwhile England striker Gary Lineker said "a superstar is born".

So what has Barcelona winger Yamal, who turned 17 connected Saturday, achieved truthful acold successful his profession - and why is it truthful special?

Before turning 17, Yamal had played 51 times for Barcelona, scoring 7 goals and mounting up different seven.

For Spain he has 13 appearances, 3 goals and six assists.

By comparison, neither Argentina's Messi nor Portugal's Ronaldo - nan 2 top players of this procreation - had played a azygous first-team crippled for nine aliases state erstwhile they were 16.

And erstwhile we look astatine nan players expected to switch Messi and Ronaldo arsenic Ballon d'Or rivals - France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland - their stats astatine this property cannot comparison to Yamal either.

Mbappe had played 4 games for Monaco, making 1 assistance earlier turning 17 - while Haaland had played 23 times successful Norway for second-tier Bryne and top-flight Molde, scoring once.

Even 1 of nan astir celebrated players to make their breakthrough astatine 16, Wayne Rooney, had only played 10 times for Everton and scored 3 goals earlier reaching 17.

Not each of Yamal's appearances truthful acold person travel aged 16... because he was 15 erstwhile he made his Barcelona debut.

Aged 15 years and 290 days he became Barcelona's youngest subordinate successful nan La Liga era erstwhile he replaced Gavi pinch six minutes to spell successful a 4-0 triumph complete Real Betis connected 29 April 2023.

On 20 August, astatine nan property of 16 years and 38 days, he became nan youngest subordinate since 1939 to commencement a La Liga crippled when he lined up successful a 2-0 triumph complete Cadiz.

One week later he became nan youngest subordinate to assistance a La Liga extremity successful nan 21st century erstwhile he crossed for Gavi to caput successful during a 4-3 triumph astatine Villarreal.

He became nan youngest subordinate to commencement a crippled successful nan Champions League, astatine 16 and 83 days, successful a 1-0 triumph astatine Porto connected 4 October.

Four days later he became nan youngest goalscorer successful La Liga history erstwhile he netted successful nan first half of a 2-2 tie astatine Granada.

He became the youngest subordinate to play successful El Clasico, nan youngest subordinate to group up a Champions League goal, aged 16 years and 153 days astatine Antwerp, and nan youngest subordinate and scorer successful nan Spanish Super Cup.

Yamal besides became nan youngest subordinate to people successful nan Spanish Cup this century, nan youngest subordinate to people doubly successful a La Liga game, the youngest subordinate successful a Champions League knockout crippled and a quarter-final.

Unsurprisingly he is nan youngest subordinate to make 50 appearances for Barcelona and nan youngest subordinate to play 10 Champions League games.

Even Lamal could not lucifer nan records of Armand Martinez Sagi, though. He was Barcelona's youngest ever subordinate and scorer astatine nan property of 14 successful nan Catalan Championship successful 1920 - 9 years earlier Spain had a nationalist league.

Among nan fewer awesome records he has missed retired connected are youngest subordinate successful nan Champions League (Youssoufa Moukoko was 16 years and 18 days for Borussia Dortmund against Zenit St Petersburg successful 2020) aliases La Liga (Luka Romero was 15 years and 219 days aged for Mallorca against Real Madrid successful 2020).

He has yet to nett successful nan Champions League and will not person nan chance to break Ansu Fati's grounds arsenic youngest scorer, aged 17 years and 40 days for Barcelona against Inter Milan successful 2019, successful that tourney now.

On 8 September 2023, Yamal became Spain's youngest subordinate and goalscorer successful nan aforesaid crippled - a 7-1 triumph complete Georgia successful Euro 2024 qualifying.

He was aged 16 years and 57 days erstwhile he came connected for Dani Olmo conscionable earlier half-time.

That was earlier he had moreover scored for Barcelona.

Only Martin Odegaard, who was 15 years and 300 days erstwhile he played for Norway successful 2014, has ever been younger while playing a European Championship qualifier.

In this summer's finals, Yamal has surgery astir each grounds location is to break - moreover though he has been doing schoolhouse homework during immoderate of his downtime successful Germany.

He became nan first 16-year-old to play astatine a men's Euros erstwhile he started their group opener against Croatia.

Yamal group up Dani Carvajal's extremity for 3-0 successful that crippled making him nan youngest assister successful Euros history.

In nan semi-final against France he became nan youngest goalscorer successful European Championship history - aged 16 years and 362 days.

In that crippled he passed 2 Pele landmarks that stood since 1958 - nan youngest subordinate to people astatine a Euros aliases World Cup - and nan youngest to characteristic successful nan semi-finals of either.

Now tin he go nan youngest subordinate to triumph nan Euros?

He could besides execute different quirky record... becoming nan first 16-year-old and nan first 17-year-old to people astatine a Euros.

He turned 17 nan time earlier nan last - and nan erstwhile youngest Euros goalscorer was Johan Vonlanthen astatine nan property of 18.

In mentation nan Spanish FA could beryllium fined if nan crippled goes to other clip and Yamal is still connected nan pitch. Germany's Youth Employment Protection Act prohibits under-18s from moving beyond 23:00 section time.

It does, though look very improbable immoderate specified action would beryllium enforced.

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A photograph has been doing nan rounds from a kindness almanac photoshoot taken astatine Barcelona's Nou Camp successful 2007.

In it 20-year-old Barcelona guardant Messi, who would spell connected to go nan club's all-time starring goalscorer, held babe Yamal and helped him person a bath.

The sprout came astir aft Unicef did a raffle successful nan municipality of Mataro wherever Lamine’s family lived.

Photographer Joan Monfort, a freelancer for nan Associated Press, only discovered past week that nan babe successful nan image was Yamal.

"He [Messi] was coming retired of nan locker room and abruptly he finds himself successful different locker room pinch a integrative tub afloat of h2o and a babe successful it. It was complicated. He didn’t moreover cognize really to clasp him astatine first," said Monfort.

Yamal is already looking for illustration he could spell connected to go a Barcelona fable - truthful nary unit connected immoderate babe he ever has a photoshoot pinch to travel successful that tradition...