Berlin (Germany): Teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal won the European Championship 2024 for Spain and also bagged the tournament’s best young player award just a day after he celebrated his 17th birthday.
Yamal's excellent pass to Nico Williams, who was adjudged as 'Player of the Match', proved to be a key moment of the summit clash as the former scored the opener for Spain, who eventually won the contest by 2-1 thanks to substitute Mikel Oyarzabal slid in with an 87th-minute winner that didn't let the game go into the penalty shoot-out.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, the 17-year-old said, "This is the best (birthday) gift I could have asked for. It’s a dream come true,” Yamal said.
“It got tough when they tied the score, but I don’t know what this team is made of because we always fight back,” he added.
England substitute Cole Palmer had equalized for England, but Mikel Oyarzabal clinched Spain’s win in the 86th.
Yamal assisted Williams in scoring in the 47th minute by drifting inside Luke Shaw and playing the ball across to the left for the Athletic Bilbao winger to hit first-time inside the far post. Yamal also forced two good saves from England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
“Lamine is incredible, as you’ve all seen during this tournament. The sky’s the limit for him. As well as being a good player, he’s also a great person,” Nico Williams said.
Yamal became the youngest player to feature, score and assist the goal and the youngest to play in a final of the European Championship.
Yamal, who plays for Barcelona, is following in the footsteps of his idol -- Lionel Messi, after coming through the renowned club named La Masia training academy. He's also the youngest goal-scorer in the Spanish league. He finished with four assists and one goal in his debut European Championship.
