2024-07-15 22:01:50
Spain’s teenage sensation could make career-defining move in Euro 2024 final
İdman.biz presents an article with a link to livesport.ru.
It is no longer a secret that the Barcelona winger is a truly special talent, capable of defining an era, writes Goal.
“If Lamine Yamal wants to play in the Euro final with Spain, he will have to do much more against us than he has done so far,” warned France midfielder Adrien Rabiot ahead of Tuesday’s clash with La Roja in Munich. “We will put pressure on him to make him uncomfortable.”
Put him under pressure? Rabiot couldn’t even get close to Yamal, darting this way and that, and the 16-year-old Spanish sensation quickly moved the ball to his left foot before firing it into the top corner of the French goal.
When the whistle blew to end the match, a delighted Yamal shouted into the camera: “Speak now!” However, Rabiot did not do so, which was probably for the best. No need to embarrass himself any further. He had just been taught a lesson by a schoolboy who had come to Germany with a lot of homework.
Since then, he has rewritten records with each illogical display of stunning skill and maturity.
“Still a child”
On Sunday, July 14, in Berlin, Yamal will become the youngest player ever to reach the final of a major international tournament, surpassing the previous record set by Pele. This is the kind of company Yamal already finds himself in, and the kind of comparisons he is already forcing people to make.
Many of those charged with helping him realize his potential have rightly preached patience and prudence.
“He’s still just a kid,” Barcelona reserve coach Rafa Marquez told Mundo Deportivo. “Let’s calm down,” former head coach Xavi said when the inevitable “New Lionel Messi” label was brought up.
But the excitement is not going to slow down. After the semi-final match on Tuesday night, that will no longer be possible.
“Touch of God”
It’s simply unrealistic to ask people to contain their excitement after they’ve seen a 16-year-old light up a game featuring the best footballers on the planet.
As Spain veteran Nacho told UEFA after the 2-1 win over France: “We knew that the French team had genius players… But if we are talking about geniuses, then maybe Spain also has such players.”
It was made painfully clear to Rabiot in Munich, but he really should have known about Yamal’s brilliance beforehand. Even if you don’t believe in fate, don’t tempt it by doubting someone who seemed destined to be a child prodigy, touched by the greatness of God the moment Messi essentially baptized him as a child.
Their paths crossed in 2007, when Yamal was just six months old. The photo of that meeting, which has been making the rounds on social media, is impossibly perfect: a young, 20-year-old Messi bathing baby Yamal for a charity calendar released by Barça.
Touched by God, washed by Messi; here is divine intervention and a wizard with his disciple – although no one yet knew what Yamal was made of.
“Speed and power without control are useless”
“We have to help him by not letting him lose his head and developing him in the best possible way,” says coach Luis de la Fuente. “The most important thing is calm and serenity.” But the thing is, Yamal doesn’t seem to lack those either.
When it comes to analysing the striker’s game, what really stands out is his composure. He never seems to hold onto the ball too long or take unnecessary risks.
Sometimes choosing the easiest option is the hardest thing for a young striker. They are often too eager to impress, to show off their skills, but Yamal seems to have fully embraced De La Fuente’s ethos that “speed and power without control are useless.”
“A player who can define an era”
Perhaps we shouldn’t be too shocked by Yamal’s footballing intelligence. After all, he was educated at La Masia. There’s no better place in the world to learn the value of a precise, patient pass.
But even Xavi, one of the most famous graduates of the Barça academy, was amazed by Yamal’s understanding of the game.
“Lamine’s decisions are almost always right,” the midfielder said last season. “It’s amazing for such a young guy, so I hope he stays at Barca for many more years because I think he’s a player who can define an era.”
This process appears to be already in full swing in Germany.
Stats on par with Messi
Yamal isn’t just the youngest player at Euro 2024; he’s arguably the best. No one has created more goals (three), chances (16) or “big chances” (six) at Euro 2024.
Taken on their own, these statistics would be very impressive, because we are talking about Messi-level numbers here. So the fact that they are coming from a kid celebrating his 17th birthday on the eve of the final is frankly absurd – and just bloody interesting for any football fan.
There is no need to start talking about whether he can match Messi’s achievements, which would be redundant, useless and unfair. But at the same time, there is no need to be shy about admitting that we are witnessing something very special.
“Remember that he is mortal!”
Yamal’s performances made it impossible to ignore his superstar potential. Not only did he outsmart Rabiot in Munich, he also upstaged Kylian Mbappe, another otherworldly talent who announced himself to the world as a teenager. But even Mbappe, and Messi, weren’t that good at that age.
De la Fuente is probably right to play down the mounting expectations around Yamal. With Bojan Krkic and Ansu Fati unable to cope with the burden of Messi comparisons, there is some positive to be found in the Spain coach’s concern for protecting his protégé.
“Lamin is doing things that suggest he could be a great athlete,” the Spain coach said on Tuesday night. “But we have to stay calm. In ancient Rome, when they talked about Caesar, they said: Remember that he is mortal!”
And Yamal isn’t just mortal; he’s still just a kid. But Pele became a football god at 17 in Solna some 66 years ago. There’s no hiding the fact that Yamal could do the same in Berlin on Sunday.
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