Euro 2024: Spain 16-year-old Lamine Yamal becomes youngest player in tournament history
Spain forward Lamine Yamal became the youngest player in European championship history on Saturday.
Yamal was in the starting 11 for Spain's Group B match against Croatia in Berlin at the age of 16 years and 338 days old. He beat the previous record set by Poland's Kacper Kozlowski, who was 17 years and 246 days old when he made his debut at Euro 2020.
The forward has been somewhat of a child prodigy in soccer since he arrived with FC Barcelona when he was age 7. He was clearly ahead of the rest of the players in his age group, and by the time he was playing in the U19 stage, he began training with FC Barcelona's first team at the request of coach Xavi Hernández, according to the club.
At the age of 15, Yamal made his first-team debut in April 2023 when he came in as a substitute in a La Liga match against Real Betis. While he isn't the youngest La Liga player in history, he is the youngest player to ever appear in a match for the storied club. In the 2023-24 season, Yamal has scored five goals.
This isn't Yamal's first appearance with the national team. He made his debut in September in a Euro 2024 qualifying match against Georgia, and he scored a goal to become the youngest goalscorer in Spain history.
Yamal recently said he brought his homework to do while playing in Euro 2024.