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Lamine Yamal: The breakout star of EURO 2024

Lamine Yamal: The breakout star of EURO 2024

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Just over a year ago playing in the semi-final of a European Championship against France ended in heartbreak for Lamine Yamal. 

By Ben Bocsák

Back in May of 2023 in the remote village of Felcsut, Yamal’s Spain had taken on the French at the U17 European Championship. 

Just as he did in Germany earlier this week, Yamal scored a sensational goal on the night, cutting in from the right onto his left foot and hitting a shot that careened off the post into the top corner of the net. 

But that night, France ended-up scoring three goals in the space of twenty minutes and knocked Spain out of the tournament. 

Yamal crashed to the ground with his head buried in his hands after the final whistle. This was still just a 15-year-old boy, already playing an age-group above and already dominating. 

Despite the tournament ending in disappointment Yamal finished as the competition’s joint top-scorer and took plenty of plaudits for his individual performances. 

Already, he was showcasing the kind of qualities that now a whole continent has gotten to know over the course of the last few weeks at Euro 2024. 

“That’s one of the things about him, he is always so relaxed. Whether he is playing in the U15s, U17s or the senior team, he is never fazed.” Former La Masia coach, Albert Puig, who worked with Yamal in two different age groups, recalls to FotMob with a smile. 

From a young age, Yamal has been identified as a potential talent at Barcelona. He mesmerised scouts at the club’s academy on a trial at just six years old, while he was already playing against boys who were a year or two older than him. 

Within the club’s ranks he progressed through the age-groups at rapid speed and made Barcelona bend their academy rules in order to accommodate his development. 

 “The progression was like nothing we have seen before,” Puig says. 

“Three years ago, he was still playing with guys of the same age. The main change started two years ago. The academy director at La Masia didn’t believe in putting players in higher age-groups but in Lamine’s case we were obligated to do it. 

“Everyone knew he was wasting his time playing with guys of the same age. He needed a challenge in front of him. So, he was one of the first players who our academy director decided to put into older teams. But that only happened around two or maybe three years ago. So, he started to play U16 when he was only U15, and he was still the best in the U16 team. And then the following season he started playing with the U19 team.” 

By 15-years-old Yamal was regularly training with Barcelona’s first team and last year became the youngest player to play for the club in a century at just 15 years and 290 days old. 

At the time of making his debut Yamal had yet to sign a professional contract for the club. Puig believes his debut was an incentive for him to stay at Barcelona with plenty of clubs circling around him from the rest of Europe. 

“Barca has economic problems so it’s normal that they turn to La Masia for quality players to try to bridge the gap in the quality of the squad. In that special moment I think Barca also wanted to show him real evidence that they believed in him in order for him to sign his first professional contract.

“He had a lot of options to go to other big clubs away from Barcelona for bigger amounts than he got at Barca but the club wanted to fight against this and offered him the opportunity to train with the first team and also make his debut. 

“Lamine is a smart guy. He knew the best options for him and for his development was to stay here at Barcelona.” 

The choice to give him his debut may have been motivated by ulterior motives, but Yamal took the opportunity handed to him and he’s shown over the course of last season what he is capable of – breaking records and putting in eye catching performances week in week. 

Not just for Barcelona, but for Spain as well. Where the beginning of his career had similar undertones. 

“He made his debut for Spain a little bit like why he made his debut at Barcelona,” Puig explains.

“He came because he also had the option to play for Morocco and to make him choose the Spanish side the Federation called him up to the first team. Maybe in that moment they didn’t believe a lot of him at that level. It was like a ‘gift’ to convert him to the Spanish side. But after a few matches it was obvious it’s not only a gift, Lamine showed he can play at that level and he could be a starter for Spain almost immediately.” 

Since making his debut Yamal has 10 goal contributions in 13 international caps for Spain averaging a goal or assist every 80.4 minutes. At Euro 2024, only his fellow compatriot, Dani Olmo, has more goal contributions than the teenager. As per FotMob statistics, he has also created more big chances (6) and chances (16) than anyone else at the tournament. 

12 months on from the disappointment against France in Hungary, Yamal got his revenge in the semi-final of Euro 2024 and has put himself as one of the emerging faces of football’s new age in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo and post-Lionel Messi era. 

On the eve of the final, he will turn 17-years-old, and he will hope to celebrate with a win against England. But no matter what happens, Puig knows this is just the beginning for his young protégé.

“This is a big chance for the national team. They have beaten Italy, Germany and France with conviction. Now you have in front of you maybe one of the favourites of the competition. So, we will see.

“But I know Lamine is by far the most special and different player I ever coached at La Masia. I hope he will remain in Barca and become the biggest player of the team for many years.” 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Lamine Yamal: The breakout star of EURO 2024

Just over a year ago playing in the semi-final of a European Championship against France ended in heartbreak for Lamine Yamal. 

By Ben Bocsák

Back in May of 2023 in the remote village of Felcsut, Yamal’s Spain had taken on the French at the U17 European Championship. 

Just as he did in Germany earlier this week, Yamal scored a sensational goal on the night, cutting in from the right onto his left foot and hitting a shot that careened off the post into the top corner of the net. 

But that night, France ended-up scoring three goals in the space of twenty minutes and knocked Spain out of the tournament. 

Yamal crashed to the ground with his head buried in his hands after the final whistle. This was still just a 15-year-old boy, already playing an age-group above and already dominating. 

Despite the tournament ending in disappointment Yamal finished as the competition’s joint top-scorer and took plenty of plaudits for his individual performances. 

Already, he was showcasing the kind of qualities that now a whole continent has gotten to know over the course of the last few weeks at Euro 2024. 

“That’s one of the things about him, he is always so relaxed. Whether he is playing in the U15s, U17s or the senior team, he is never fazed.” Former La Masia coach, Albert Puig, who worked with Yamal in two different age groups, recalls to FotMob with a smile. 

From a young age, Yamal has been identified as a potential talent at Barcelona. He mesmerised scouts at the club’s academy on a trial at just six years old, while he was already playing against boys who were a year or two older than him. 

Within the club’s ranks he progressed through the age-groups at rapid speed and made Barcelona bend their academy rules in order to accommodate his development. 

 “The progression was like nothing we have seen before,” Puig says. 

“Three years ago, he was still playing with guys of the same age. The main change started two years ago. The academy director at La Masia didn’t believe in putting players in higher age-groups but in Lamine’s case we were obligated to do it. 

“Everyone knew he was wasting his time playing with guys of the same age. He needed a challenge in front of him. So, he was one of the first players who our academy director decided to put into older teams. But that only happened around two or maybe three years ago. So, he started to play U16 when he was only U15, and he was still the best in the U16 team. And then the following season he started playing with the U19 team.” 

By 15-years-old Yamal was regularly training with Barcelona’s first team and last year became the youngest player to play for the club in a century at just 15 years and 290 days old. 

At the time of making his debut Yamal had yet to sign a professional contract for the club. Puig believes his debut was an incentive for him to stay at Barcelona with plenty of clubs circling around him from the rest of Europe. 

“Barca has economic problems so it’s normal that they turn to La Masia for quality players to try to bridge the gap in the quality of the squad. In that special moment I think Barca also wanted to show him real evidence that they believed in him in order for him to sign his first professional contract.

“He had a lot of options to go to other big clubs away from Barcelona for bigger amounts than he got at Barca but the club wanted to fight against this and offered him the opportunity to train with the first team and also make his debut. 

“Lamine is a smart guy. He knew the best options for him and for his development was to stay here at Barcelona.” 

The choice to give him his debut may have been motivated by ulterior motives, but Yamal took the opportunity handed to him and he’s shown over the course of last season what he is capable of – breaking records and putting in eye catching performances week in week. 

Not just for Barcelona, but for Spain as well. Where the beginning of his career had similar undertones. 

“He made his debut for Spain a little bit like why he made his debut at Barcelona,” Puig explains.

“He came because he also had the option to play for Morocco and to make him choose the Spanish side the Federation called him up to the first team. Maybe in that moment they didn’t believe a lot of him at that level. It was like a ‘gift’ to convert him to the Spanish side. But after a few matches it was obvious it’s not only a gift, Lamine showed he can play at that level and he could be a starter for Spain almost immediately.” 

Since making his debut Yamal has 10 goal contributions in 13 international caps for Spain averaging a goal or assist every 80.4 minutes. At Euro 2024, only his fellow compatriot, Dani Olmo, has more goal contributions than the teenager. As per FotMob statistics, he has also created more big chances (6) and chances (16) than anyone else at the tournament. 

12 months on from the disappointment against France in Hungary, Yamal got his revenge in the semi-final of Euro 2024 and has put himself as one of the emerging faces of football’s new age in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo and post-Lionel Messi era. 

On the eve of the final, he will turn 17-years-old, and he will hope to celebrate with a win against England. But no matter what happens, Puig knows this is just the beginning for his young protégé.

“This is a big chance for the national team. They have beaten Italy, Germany and France with conviction. Now you have in front of you maybe one of the favourites of the competition. So, we will see.

“But I know Lamine is by far the most special and different player I ever coached at La Masia. I hope he will remain in Barca and become the biggest player of the team for many years.” 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.