Spanish striker Lamine Yamal, aged 16 years and 11 months, will become the youngest player in history to play in a European Nations Football Championship match on Saturday. Yamal, who is exactly 16 years and 338 days old and plays for FC Barcelona, is among the 11 Spanish starters who will face Croatia at 6:00 p.m. in Berlin. Before the right winger, the youngest player to play a match at a Euro was the Pole Kacper Kozlowski, who was 17 years and 246 days old when he faced… Spain in 2021.
If he scores on the pitch at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the left-hander will naturally become the youngest scorer in the history of the Euro. The record is currently held by Swiss Johan Vonlanthen, who was 18 years and 141 days old when he scored against France in 2004. Yamal stood out this season with Barcelona by becoming an indisputable starter in attack at 16, scoring seven goals for eight assists in 50 matches, all competitions combined. The one who is under contract until 2026 is considered the best player to come from the “Masia” – the training center of FC Barcelona – since Lionel Messi.
“It’s almost a gift from God, very few players have his qualities,” declared his coach Luis De la Fuente on Friday. Yamal already has seven caps with Spain, whose attacking sector will be very young on Saturday, including Nico Williams and Pedri, both 21 years old.
