Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal, born in 2007, has revealed a student’s struggle to avoid failing his school exams.
“I just hope my teachers are watching the European Football Championship (Euro 2024) and won’t fail me,” he said, according to the UK’s Tribune.
While his peers are reading textbooks at school, Yamal is playing for Spain at the Euros and having a blast. At just 16 years and 338 days old, he became the youngest player in Euro history to play in the tournament. He also earned an offensive point against Croatia, assisting on the team’s third goal. It was also the youngest offensive point ever.
Yamal hopes his performances will pave the way for success both on and off the field. Off the field, of course, are school exams. “I have to take my exams soon. Whether I’ll get my grades online or in person depends on how high Spain goes at the Euros,” he says. “I believe we’ll go all the way,” he adds, confident of taking Spain to the final.
“I want my teachers to watch the tournament and support the team. I hope they will be happy to see my performance and help me pass my exams,” he concluded.
Before the Euro Games began in earnest, Yamal caused a stir when he said he brought his school homework. “I’m a senior in high school, so I brought my homework to the competition. I have online classes and I’m doing well,” he said, adding, “I hope my teacher doesn’t suspend me.”
Yamal was born in 2007 and is only 16 years old, but he is already a Barcelona regular. He burst onto the scene at the end of last season, making his first-team debut at 15 years and 290 days old, breaking the club’s record for the youngest debutant in the league.
This season, he played as a first-choice winger, scoring seven goals and providing 10 assists in 50 games across 토토 all competitions, including La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona finished second in the league and reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
At a young age, he earned a spot in the Barcelona first team and a call-up to the Spanish national team. He made his A-match debut against Georgia in September last year, coming on as a second-half substitute and scoring in a 7-1 win, becoming the youngest player ever to score for the Spanish national team.
A consistent call-up to the national team, Yamal was named to Spain’s roster ahead of the start of Euro 2024 and is set to make his first international appearance. His six assists in three friendlies leading up to the tournament not only earned him a spot on the final roster, but also made him a regular member of Spain’s ‘Invincibles’ squad.
Naturally, he’s been compared to Lionel Messi, the club’s biggest star. “Even Messi at his age wasn’t at that level,” says Fernando Llorente, a senior member of the Spanish national team, of Yamal, who has been touted as the next Messi. “He does amazing things. You can’t compare him to anyone.” Thumbs up
One of the tournament’s biggest talents, Yamal has lived up to expectations from his first game. Despite making his Euro debut, he was active on the ground against Croatia, scoring an attacking point and helping Spain to a 3-0 win.
Now, Yamal will prepare for one of the biggest matches of the group stage. Spain will face defending champions Italy in the second match of Group B on June 21 at 4:00 am. The Azzurri also claimed three points in their first match of the tournament on June 16 with a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Albania.
With both teams having one win, the winner of the second match will likely finish first in Group B. Yamal were in fine form against Croatia, so it will be interesting to see if they can repeat their brilliance against defending champions Italy.