Lamine Yamal passes football tests and earns Rodri’s respect | Spain

GUlyan Nagelsmann said Germany wouldn’t kick him out of his socks, but, well, they did. He was Adrien Rabiot promised that they would push him out of his comfort zone and put pressure on him. He looked good, the Frenchman’s words were implicit praise, but if he was to beat France, he had to “work harder”. And that’s what Lamine Yamal did. whoAnd thereWith a bizarre curling shot, and despite still being just 16, he was not afraid, he carried Spain to the final and made him the youngest goalscorer ever in a European Championship or World Cup, ahead of a man called Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

who And all thisAt the end of the semi-final, Rodri, the Spanish midfielder who bears some resemblance to Spain’s coach, said he took Lamine Yamal aside and congratulated him. “I’m very proud of him,” Rodri said.

“People will hold on to the goal, that moment of surprise in the tournament for a 16-year-old. You have to have tremendous quality to be able to do that, and to do it in a semi-final speaks volumes about the player he is, the incredible future he has. Very few players can do that,” Rodri insisted. “But I hold on to his defensive commitment, the support he gave his team-mates, how he closed down the spaces, the oxygen he gave us. How complete his game was… and I told him that personally… hat“.”

The first thing Lamine Yamal did after 110 seconds was to drop a long ball diagonally, exchange passes with Jesus Navas and rush away from Rabiot and Theo Hernandez. The second mistake: not his, but his, and Hernandez was the victim again. That was all the spotted boy in braces did. The third was a wonderful pass that could have put Fabián Ruiz ahead for Spain. All this in the space of five minutes. The last thing he did, after 90 minutes, was to get a yellow card for bringing down Hernandez, to make his last service.

Meanwhile, there were three shots, 44 touches, two assists and three attempted tackles, all successful. When he finally reached his teammates and was forced to walk the long way back to the bench, he collapsed on the ground exhausted. “In addition to the goal, he did an exceptional job; he gave his all until the last minute. That makes him a better player; it will make him more mature as a footballer and as a person,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.

But Rodri was right: people will cherish the goal, and remember it above all else. How could they not? “I wish my first goal had been a great one,” said Lamine Yamal, who appeared next to the bus holding the man-of-the-match award. “My little brother, man-of-the-match,” said Neco Williams. The two Spanish wingers, symbols of a new generation, a new team and a changing society, have become inseparable over the past month. It was a wonderful moment. Golazo Well, it’s the same goal he scored a year ago against France in the semi-final of the European Under-17 Championship.

It all happened so quickly, under-17s, under-19s, straight into the first team. He made his debut for Barcelona at 15. It hadn’t even been a year since I had talks with his family to make sure he chose Spain over Morocco. Some, especially on the other side of the country’s great footballing divide, considered it too fast, even ridiculous. He still needed parental permission to travel abroad with the national team and Barcelona. He had a private tutor assigned to him. At the start of the season, his club’s sporting directorate set him a target for the season: to complete his fourth year at school. He took his homework and got his exam results in Donaueschingen.

He had that moment – ​​“I can focus on the European Championship,” he said – and he had that moment too. The pitch decides. Asked about Lamine Yamal after the game, Antoine Griezmann said: “I saw him.” Earlier, during the countdown, Kylian Mbappé had come to greet him. Mbappé, a former France player, had already surpassed that goal. the next A great player, he inherited the crown from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he is nine His teammate Navas, who on Tuesday night became the oldest player to appear in a semi-final and was the last member of the 2010 World Cup-winning team when Lamine Yamal was three, is older than his father. He had won five titles by the time Lamine Yamal was born.

“I watched Spain’s last European Championship match in a shopping mall with my friends. Now I want to enjoy being here. I spoke to my mother and she was very happy,” said Lamine Yamal after the match.

“We have seen a touch of genius from a player we need to look after,” added De la Fuente. “I will give him advice. I want him to work with the same humility to improve with the same kind of attitude and maturity he shows on the pitch. He looks like a much more experienced player. I celebrate the fact that he is Spanish and in our team, and I hope we can enjoy him for years to come.”

On Saturday, he will turn 17, the day before the final. “I told my mother she doesn’t need to buy me anything,” he said. “I’ve already got the final, and that’s my dream and hers too.”