Lamine Yamal makes history as youngest player to appear at a European Championship

Lamine Yamal of Spain made history on Saturday when he took the field against Croatia at Euro 2024, becoming the youngest player to participate in a men’s European Championship.

When he played against Spain at Euro 2020, Kacper Kozłowski of Poland set the previous record at 17 years and 246 days. Yamal broke that record at 16 years and 338 days.

In the first half, Yamal set a new record for his debut against Croatia by crossing the ball into the box. This set up Dani Carvajal to poke home and lead his team to a vital 3-0 Group B victory.

Yamal already holds the record for being the youngest player to start a La Liga match in the twenty-first century and the youngest player to appear for Barcelona.

Yamal played 37 La Liga matches and 10 Champions League matches in his debut season with Barça’s senior squad. He finished the season with seven goals and ten assists across all competitions.

The adolescent is regarded as one of football’s most promising young players, and both Spain and the Blaugrana expect him to help guide them to titles soon.

Although Yamal has already demonstrated this season—notably with some incredible performances in the Champions League—that he is not afraid of the most excellent platform, it is undoubtedly a lot of pressure to place on such tiny shoulders.

Former Barça head coach Xavi recently informed reporters about Yamal, saying, “I think he’s so mature and can already make a difference for us.” “We need to look after him, but I believe he’s ready, and I don’t mind putting my trust in young people.”