Lamine Yamal starts for Spain to become youngest player in ...
Spain forward Lamine Yamal has become the youngest player in European Championship history.
Yamal, aged 16 years and 338 days old, started for Spain in their Euro 2024 opener against Croatia on Saturday in his eighth appearance for his country.
The Barcelona winger breaks the previous record set by Brighton and Hove Albion’s Kacper Kozłowski, who played for Poland at Euro 2020 aged 17 years and 246 days.
Kozlowski had previously surpassed Jude Bellingham, who held the record for six days after coming on as a second-half substitute in England’s group-stage win over Croatia at the same tournament.
Bellingham went on to become the youngest goalscorer in the competition’s history by scoring in England’s quarter-final win over Ukraine, aged 18 years and four days.
Yamal has scored two goals and provided four assists since being given his international debut by Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente in September last year.
The Barcelona academy graduate was deployed on the right of a front three, alongside La Roja captain Alvaro Morata and Nico Williams.
It caps a remarkable season for the teenager, who became the youngest ever player to start a Champions League game at the start of 2023-24.
He made his debut in Barcelona’s group-stage victory over Porto, breaking the previous record set by Nigeria and Anderlecht defender, Celestine Babayaro.
He is also already the youngest goalscorer in the history of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
GO DEEPER
What makes Lamine Yamal such a special footballer?
Analysis by Pol Ballus
If there’s anyone tempted to read Yamal’s debut as a chance to grab a record, forget it. He starts because, right now, he is that important to Spain.
As much as his full international debut was partly motivated by the Spanish FA to secure Yamal’s Spanish nationality (he was also eligible for Morocco), the impact he’s had since first featuring in a Spain shirt has been massive. Two goals and four assists in seven games, as well as a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabeu can vouch for that.
His partnership with best-friend Nico Williams at the wings is, in the same way, a symbol of the new style Spain want to embody: a possession-oriented squad which is not afraid to sit deep and counter-attack if the game requires so.
“Which style will we play? The style that brings us to the win. It’s that simple. I am not a guardian of any philosophy. It’s a mistake to believe there is only one way that will get you success,” Rodri said in the build-up to the game. And here there is Yamal to make Spain as unpredictable as they wish.
(Photo by Rafa Babot/Getty Images)
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