|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Lamine Yamal will target Luke Shaw or Kieran Trippier immediately when the whistle blows in Berlin tomorrow.
In the Euro 2024 final, Spain’s winger is expected to start against England.
This season, Spain’s incredible teenage superstar has broken record after record.
He now hopes to become the youngest player to ever win a World Cup or European Championship to cap it all off.
If Gareth Southgate gives the Barcelona star the go-ahead to start, Shaw or Trippier need to be wary of his calm yet self-assured style of play.
Speaking on Friday, the day before turning 17 years old, Yamal stated of going up against a full-back: “The first move conditions the game a lot.” It is there for the match if I walk past them.
“I consistently believe that the full back is under pressure. I will be touching the goal if I pass him.
When I have the ball, I usually go for the full back in a one-on-one because it’s a very psychological game and if I go for him, he gets terrified, which allows me to go for him more and improvise.
“They treat me with respect, and they don’t get too personal with me.” They make an effort to wait.
“How am I handled? like a typical participant. In particular, I don’t think my opponents will not foul me despite my age of sixteen.”
Both France and Germany attempted to roughhouse or intimidate the young winger, but both were eliminated.
Spain wants to make the most of Yamal’s amazing skill while also nurturing it.
Although his teammates are eager to shield him, their new phenomenon is handling this event like a pro despite his early age.
He even passed out on the coach to the stadium before Spain’s quarterfinal match against Germany in Stuttgart, so nerves obviously aren’t a problem.
Yamal and the seasoned player from Real Madrid and Spain, Dani Carvajal, have developed a strong partnership down the right. Dani said: “I think he’s not aware of what it means right now.”
“He plays the games with concentration and in the same way as if he were with pals.
“The positive thing about him is that his self-assurance ultimately makes a significant contribution.
“It’s not easy to manage all the impact he’s having at this age, so we have to look after him and pamper him a lot, not just in Barcelona but also on the Spanish national team.”
“There have been many cases in football of young players who at 20 years old didn’t give any more and we also have to have a certain patience with Lamine Yamal and look after him so that he marks an era.”
Among those who have gone above and beyond to ensure that Yamal is having a great time at his first tournament is 22-year-old winger Nico Williams.
Despite having a five-year age difference, Williams and Yamal, the two youngest players on Luis de la Fuente’s team, have grown close.
The Barca academy alumnus typically spends his free time playing video games with Williams, though he generally comes out on top. Yamal spends hours each day completing schoolwork on his iPad in his room.
Yamal is already well-known domestically after a strong first season with Barcelona, but few anticipated that he would end up as the summertime poster child in Germany.
Jude Bellingham, the man who was expected to be the youthful phenomenon stealing this tournament, will see him tomorrow.
Only one can win at the Olympiastadion; Yamal against France and Bellingham in the last seconds against Slovakia are examples of their respective moments.
Whatever transpires, Spain’s newest celebrity will return home to a whole new degree of recognition, one that he is already attempting to acclimate to.
“I always tell my mother that the things I miss the most are going to the terrace, the shops, or picking up my brother from school, which I am unable to do,” he remarked.
“In the winter, I wear my hood up. I’ll just have to put up with it over the summer.”
If Yamal raises the trophy tomorrow, it will take more than just a hoodie to keep the throng away from him.