Lamine Yamal passes football test and earns Rodri’s respect. spain

JUlian Nagelsmann said Germany isn’t going to throw them out, but, well, they are Were Adrien Rabiot promised to push him out of his comfort zone, to apply pressure. He looked good, and the Frenchman’s words contained praise, but he would have to do “more” if he was going to beat France. And Lamin Yamal did the same HeAnd ThereCurling in a wild shot, the man, still 16 but not intimidated, took Spain to the final and made him the youngest goalscorer at a Euro or World Cup since Edson Arantes do Was ahead of someone named Nascimento.

He and all it, At the end of the semi-final, Spain midfielder Rodri, who is somewhat like the Spain manager, said that he had taken Lamin Yamal aside and congratulated him. “I’m very proud of him,” Rodri said.

“People will hold on to the goal, that sudden starring moment from a 16-year-old. And to be able to do that you have to have tremendous quality, and to do that in a semi-final speaks volumes about the player he is.” “He has an incredible future,” Rodri stressed, “his defensive commitment, the way he closes down spaces. I stand by the oxygen he gave us. His game was so perfect…and I told him that personally… chapeau,

The first thing Lamine Yamal did after 110 seconds was bring down a long diagonal, exchange passes with Jesus Navas, and run away from Rabiot and Theo Hernandez. The second was a foul: not on him, but by him, Hernandez the victim again. That’s a lot for a freckled kid with braces. And the third was a brilliant delivery which Fabián Ruiz would have given Spain the lead. All that within five minutes. The last thing he did after 90 minutes was receive a yellow card for bringing down Hernandez on the last serve.

Meanwhile, there were three shots, 44 touches, two key passes and three tackle attempts, all completed. When he finally reached his teammates, he had to walk a long way back to the bench, collapsing on the floor exhausted. “Along with the goal, he did an exceptional job; They gave everything until the last minute,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. “It makes him an even better player; “It will make him mature as a footballer and a human being.”

And yet, Rodri was right: people will stick to the goal, remembering it above all else. How can they not? “I hoped my first goal would be a great goal,” said Lamin Yamal as he came off the bus with his player of the match award in hand. “My little brother, mini MVP,” Nico Williams called him; Spain’s wingers, a symbol of a new generation, a new team, a changing society too, have become inseparable over the past month. and it was a Golazo Ok. Almost the same as he had made a year ago. Against France. In the semi-finals of the Euros. At under-17 level.

It’s all happened so fast, from Under-17, Under-19, straight to the first team. He made his debut in Barcelona at the age of 15. It has been less than a year since talks were held with his family to ensure that he would choose Spain over Morocco. Some people, especially on the other side of the country’s great football divide, considered it too fast, even absurd. He still needs parental permission to travel abroad with the national team and Barcelona. He has been appointed a teacher. At the beginning of the season, his club’s sports directorate set a goal for the season: for him to complete his fourth year at school. He did his homework and received his exam results in Donaueschingen.

He passed it – “I can focus on the euro,” he said – and it passed too. Determines the pitch. Asked about Lamine Yamal after the game, Antoine Griezmann said: “You saw him.” Earlier, during that countdown, Kylian Mbappe had come to welcome him. mbappe, the next The great player who inherited the crown from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo nine years old. His teammate Jesus Navas, who became the oldest player to take part in Tuesday night’s semi-final, was the last player on the World Cup-winning team in 2010, when Lamine Yamal was three years older than his father. By the time Lamin Yamal was born, he had won five trophies.

Lamin Yamal later recalled, “The last Euro was played in Spain, I watched in a shopping center with my teammates.” “Now I want to enjoy being here. I was talking to my mother and she is very happy.

De la Fuente said: “We saw a touch of talent in a player we need to keep an eye on. I would recommend him. I want him to improve while working with the same humility and show the same attitude and maturity that he shows on the field. He seems to be a much more experienced player. I celebrate the fact that he is Spanish and on our team, and I hope we can enjoy him for years to come.

He will turn 17 on Saturday, a day before the final. “I told my mom she doesn’t need to get anything for me,” he said. “I have already got to the final, which is my dream and so is his.”