All eyes were on Kylian Mbappe, but it was Lamine Yamal who took all the limelight in the UEFA Euro 2024 semifinal by leading Spain‘s comeback win against France. And the youngster had something to say to Adrien Rabiot.
The French midfielder raised eyebrows in his press conference ahead of the match by downplaying what Yamal had shown so far: “If Lamine Yamal wants to play in the Euro 2024 final with Spain, he will have to do much more against us than he has done so far.”
Those comments eventually backfired, as they only served as bulletin board material for the Spanish sensation. “Speak now, speak now!,” said Yamal to the cameras as Spain celebrated the 2-1 win in Munich. Later, he told Miguel Angel Diaz of COPE: “Rabiot’s words? There’s no need to give importance to that.”
Shortly before the Euro 2024 semifinal, Yamal had already sent a subtle reply to Rabiot, posting the following picture on Instagram stories.
Yamal proves Rabiot wrong by helping Spain beat France in Euro 2024 semis
Despite being only 16, the FC Barcelona prodigy proved to have plenty of character and maturity for his age. Only 21 minutes into the game, with Spain trailing 1-0 as Mbappe provided a great assist for Randal Kolo Muani earlier in the match, Yamal fired home a fantastic goal to make things level against France.
That goal immediately lifted Luis de la Fuente’s men, who took the lead only four minutes later with Dani Olmo turning things around. Spain held on to their lead, and eventually gained the upper hand. Even though he’s just a kid, Yamal has already proven one of his doubters wrong.
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Euro 2024: Why is Marc Cucurella being whistled in the Spain vs France semifinal
Yamal to turn 17 a day before the Euro 2024 final with Spain
Yamal’s upcoming birthday will be definitely special for the promising midfielder, who will turn 17 on Saturday, just a day before the UEFA Euro 2024 final, where Spain will play England or the Netherlands in Berlin.
Having broken countless records both with Barcelona and the Spanish national team, Yamal is making a name for himself very early in his career, emerging as the face of a new generation of stars set to take center stage in the years to come.
