Rio Ferdinand and Gary Lineker were some of the media figures who reacted to the talent of the 16-year-old Spanish player.
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Lamine Yamal became the youngest footballer in history to score in the final stages of a European Championship, netting a stunning goal against France in the semifinals.
At just 16 years and 362 days old, the Barcelona talent danced in front of the French defense and, from the edge of the box, curled an unstoppable shot near the top corner, scoring the equalizer for a 1-1 draw in the 21st minute.
Yamal is clearly an undeniable figure in the competition, especially given his tender age. "Lamine Yamal does illegal things. A person with 16 years," reacted Rio Ferdinand, former Manchester United and England international, on social media.
Gary Lineker, former England striker and now a well-known commentator, emphasized that he had never seen anything like it. "We don't want to get carried away, but no one has ever done this. Even Messi did it later," he compared. "I'm not saying he will be a Messi or a Maradona, but he could be. To do what he is doing at this age, and he is so calm. The decision-making and the goal, no one has ever done this," he continued, as quoted by the Mirror.
In his debut at this European Championship, against Croatia, Yamal had already made history as the youngest starter in the final stages of the tournament, at 16 years, 11 months, and two days.
Lamine Yamal became the youngest footballer in history to score in the final stages of a European Championship, netting a stunning goal against France in the semifinals. At just 16 years and 362 days old, the Barcelona talent danced in front of the French defense and, from the edge of the box, curled an unstoppable shot near the top corner, scoring the equalizer for a 1-1 draw in the 21st minute.
Yamal is clearly an undeniable figure in the competition, especially given his tender age. "Lamine Yamal does illegal things. A person with 16 years," reacted Rio Ferdinand, former Manchester United and England international, on social media.
Gary Lineker, former England striker and now a well-known commentator, emphasized that he had never seen anything like it. "We don't want to get carried away, but no one has ever done this. Even Messi did it later," he compared. "I'm not saying he will be a Messi or a Maradona, but he could be. To do what he is doing at this age, and he is so calm. The decision-making and the goal, no one has ever done this," he continued, as quoted by the Mirror.
In his debut at this European Championship, against Croatia, Yamal had already made history as the youngest starter in the final stages of the tournament, at 16 years, 11 months, and two days.
On a global level, he dethroned Pelé as the youngest to play in a semifinal of a major competition. The Brazilian competed in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden at 17 years and 144 days, also scoring three goals against France in a 5-2 victory for Brazil.
This was Yamal's third goal in 13 appearances for the Spanish national team.
