‘A superstar is born’ – the moment of ‘genius’ that made history in Yamal

Every now and then, a goal is scored in a European Championship that stands the test of time. It has been remembered, repeated and commented on for decades.

Marco van Basten’s angled volley at Euro 1988 is one of them. Paul Gascoigne’s run and individual finish at Euro 1996 is another, as is Karel Poborsky’s record in the same tournament.

The story of Lamine Yamal scoring a goal for Spain x France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals can be added to the list.

With Spain 1-0 down, Yamal struck a brilliant shot from outside the box into the top corner and put it in the history books.

At 16 years and 362 days, he became the youngest man to score in the tournament’s history – and left everyone watching in awe.

“A superstar is born,” former England striker Gary Lineker told BBC One. “It was the moment of the game, possibly the moment of the tournament.”

“Simply incredible,” added former England striker Alan Shearer. “We’ve been talking about him all tournament and saying he’s ridiculously young.

“To do so is simply outrageous.”

‘A touch of genius’

The goal, which left fans inside the Allianz Arena and around the world gasping as it was replayed in slow motion, was all the more impressive because of its timing.

A 1-0 defeat in the semi-final of a major tournament. It was a high-pressure moment, but he overcame it effortlessly.

At no point in the preparation for the heavyweight contest did Yamal show any signs of nervousness.

He was smiling and joking with his teammates on the field hours before kickoff and carried that confidence into his performance.

“We saw a touch of genius,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente of Yamal’s goal.

“We all need to take care of him. I would like him to work with the same humility and keep his feet on the ground, to continue learning.

“He looks like a much more experienced player, to be honest. I celebrate him being on our team, being Spanish.

“We count on it and hope to be able to take advantage of it in the coming years.”

Yamal wants to ‘win, win, win and win’ after ‘dream comes true’

Yamal is now making an impact on the international stage, but he had already rewritten the record books in his breakthrough season at Barcelona.

He became the youngest starter and top scorer for the Spanish team, as well as the youngest top scorer in La Liga.

Yamal turns 17 on July 13th – one day before the Euro 2024 final, in which Spain will face England or Holland.

Giving an insight into his mindset, the teenager said all he wanted to do to celebrate his birthday was “win, win, win and win”.

Whoever Spain face in the final will be advised not to give the youngster additional motivation, as France perhaps did.

Before the game, midfielder Adrien Rabiot said that Yamal would need to “show more than he has done so far in the tournament”.

At the end of the game, Yamal celebrated by telling a TV camera: “Speak now, speak now.”

Former England defender Rio Ferdinand said: “It’s almost as if Yamal saw Rabiot and his eyes lit up and he said: ‘I’ll show you.’

“A wonderful ending for such a young child.”

Yamal turned up for the post-match press conference at 12.15pm, when most other 16-year-olds would have been asleep, and was asked who his comments were aimed at.

“The person I’m talking about will know who that person is,” he said.

“It’s a dream come true to reach the final with the national team.”

In front of the assembled media, Yamal showed the same level of confidence he had on the field.

His focus now shifts to Sunday’s final in Berlin.

Asked who he would rather face, he replied: “I don’t really care.

“When you reach the final you have to play your best and they are also very equal games.

“We’ll wait and play against whoever.”