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Neither Englishman Kobbie Mainoo nor Spaniard Lamine Yamal had been born when Cristiano Ronaldo made his Euro 2004 debut.
The two captivating teens will compete against one another in tomorrow’s Euro 2024 final in Berlin.
Both have dazzled the football world with a series of outstanding performances on behalf of their nations. Here, we observe the teenagers playing for fun.
KOBBIE MAINOO, 19
After England’s triumph in the semi-final, Kobbie Mainoo’s family gleamed, all dressed in replica England shirts with the number 26.
And rightly so; manager Gareth Southgate did not include the 19-year-old central midfielder in his starting lineup at the outset of the Euros.
However, as the team’s most dependable passer, he will be crucial to England’s aspirations of winning the trophy for the first time tomorrow night.
Awaiting the big moment
Mainoo has the highest pass accuracy of any midfielder in the history of the European Championship, according to Opta statistics, at 96%.
However, Mainoo has yet to start a league game for his club, Manchester United, as recently as a year ago.
His half-brother Jordan Mainoo-Hames, who starred on the ITV reality series Love Island, was the most well-known Mainoo at the time.
However, Mainoo gained notoriety in the previous year after winning the FA Cup, scoring a spectacular goal against United’s rivals Liverpool, and receiving a call-up from Southgate.
The manager remarked of him following his England debut in March, “You cannot believe he has taken everything in his stride like he has.”
However, even Mainoo could not contain his enthusiasm on Wednesday following his victory over the Dutch in Dortmund, as he joined his parents in the crowd following the game.
Similar to Lamine Yamal of Spain, Mainoo’s abilities were recognized from a young age.
He was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and relocated to the Cheadle Hulme neighborhood of the city in April 2005.
When he was four years old, he played for the Cheadle and Gatley Junior Football Club there. At six, Man United and Man City scouted him.
“He came from a lovely family,” his first coach at Cheadle and Gatley, Steve Vare, said to The Sun. I used to talk to his father on a daily basis.
Young Kobbie, a lifelong Red, chose United.
Mainoo applied for the scholarship program at the age of 11, but young athletes typically enroll in it when they are 13 or 14.
After recovering from injuries that delayed his rise to the first team, Mainoo became a standout in manager Erik ten Hag’s starting lineup.
His sensible parents have taken care to prevent the child from going crazy.
“Nothing changes at home because the family I have around me very much keeps me grounded,” Mainoo remarked.
Kobbie’s mother Abena Herold and father Felix are divorced, and Felix has shaped a large portion of his career.
resides in a £370,000 house
When he noticed a young United supporter at Wembley Stadium wearing a Mainoo replica shirt prior to the FA Cup final, he could not contain his pride. Felix questioned the child, saying, “Is that player your favorite? He’s my boy.
Despite making £20,000 a week, Mainoo shares a £370,000 semi-detached house in Cheadle Hulme with his father.
His mother and sisters Ama and Efia are among people he spends time with. Mainoo, who is rumored to be single, did not share a kiss with any of his teammates in the Dortmund stands following the semifinal. He is instead concentrating on his football and staying in touch with his former friends.
I do know Kobbie is still in contact with his old school friends. He hasn’t lost sight of the fact he is very grounded
Steve Vare, Kobbie’s First Coach At Cheadle And Gatley
“I do know Kobbie is still in contact with his old school friends,” Coach Steve continued. He still remembers that he is firmly planted.
Mainoo’s decision to represent his home country instead of his parents’, who are originally from Ghana, would be appreciated by supporters.
The African country made an attempt to get Mainoo to join them, but he refused, saying, “As a kid you always dream of playing for England.”
Kobbie’s ascent has been so swift that he hasn’t had time to realize how far he has come. It happened quickly, he claimed. However, I’ve been approaching things day by day and game by game. We are presently in the final.
Everything will change if England triumphs over Spain.
LAMINE YAMAL, 17
His club Barcelona had put a billion-euro price tag on the teenage player even before he scored a spectacular goal for Spain in the semi-finals.
On Tuesday, the winger eliminated France with a shot that he curled into the top corner while still 16 years old.
In addition, he is ready to participate in tomorrow night’s European Championship final versus England in honor of his 17th birthday.
For a charity calendar, Lionel Messi, the legend from Barcelona and Argentina, washed the child when he was a newborn. This is an amazing rise for the child.
Yamal has been developed by the Spanish powerhouses for over ten years; at the age of fifteen years, nine months, and sixteen days, he made his senior debut for the team.
A star is born
Because he is so young, he had to take the exams for the Euros online. Three years younger than Yamal’s Spanish teammate Jesus Navas, his father Mounir Nasraoui is 35 years old.
Photos of his son are all over Mounir’s Instagram page; one of them features Messi holding a tiny Yamal, and the caption reads, “The beginning of two legends.”
But things haven’t been simple for Yamal’s family. at the Barcelona suburb of Mataró, his parents used to live with Yamal, an uncle, and four cousins at his grandmother’s apartment.
At the age of three, Yamal’s mother Sheila Ebana, a fast food employee, filed for divorce from dad Mounir.
His mother relocated to the adjacent city of Granollers, but his father remained in Mataro. Yamal lived in each of their houses part-time.
Given that Sheila was born in Equatorial Guinea and Mounir in Morocco, they had encountered intolerance in Spain.
Earlier last year, Mounir faced far-right anti-immigrant party Vox activists and got into controversy for standing up to racism.
After he was said to have gotten into a fight with a group in Mataró while they were passing out flyers, he was fined £450 in June.
However, Yamal is revered as a hero in the impoverished neighborhood of Rocafonda in Mataro, where he was raised, and where he celebrates his goals.
He puts his hand up to make the number 304. These are the last three digits of the postcode for the suburb. Poverty affects half of the population there.
However, Yamal’s journey began on those suburban streets.
Yamal stated, “I was always there, I spent the entire day playing, and without picking up my mobile phone,” in an interview with the Spanish GQ magazine. I continued.
“I was so sweaty when I got home.” The adolescent has come to represent variety, and he wears the flags of Equatorial Guinea and Morocco on his boots to honor his African heritage.
“I’ve been to both countries,” he declared. My families are ultimately my roots. It holds great significance for me.
His grandma moved into a new home thanks to the endorsement deal he received with Adidas.
Yamal reportedly makes £120,000 a month, yet he still resides at Barcelona’s La Masia development facility. The team is making every effort to keep him safe, limiting his interview opportunities and penalizing him when he transgresses.
In March 2023, he and a few teammates allegedly made prank calls to the team psychologist while he was playing for the national team’s under-17 squad.
Barcelona consequently suspended him for four games.
Yet the Spanish Press claims that he has made time for romance and that he is connected to Spanish celebrity Alex Padilla.
In the press one day they put you as the new Messi and the next day they say that you have to stop playing
Lamine Yamal
Many have referred to Yamal as the “new Messi” because of his brilliance. However, the young person is cautious of the title because a lot of past prodigies have fallen short of such high expectations.
“In the press, they portray you as the next Messi one day, and the next, they tell you to stop playing,” Yamal stated.
But it’s obvious that Barcelona views him as Lionel’s succession.
Last year, Yamal agreed to a three-year deal with them—the greatest duration permitted for minors in Spain.
There is an automatic renewal clause in place, good until 2030.
However, England will aim to disprove any Messi analogies by limiting his chances to score tomorrow night in Berlin.
