What Lamine Yamal said after making history for Spain
It's likely that when Lamine Yamal looks back on these days in a few years, he'll have a somewhat blurry memory, may even have trouble recognizing himself in the images, and admit that he wasn't very aware of what he was experiencing.
This often happens with athletes who achieve high levels of success and popularity at such a young age. It's only later that they realize they were an anomaly. Just a year ago, Lamine made his debut with the Juvenil A team as a second-year cadet, and now he plays with remarkable ease alongside the senior players of FC Barcelona and the national team.
Against Georgia, he once again made history. At just 16 years and 57 days, he became the youngest player to play and score for the Spanish national team. Lamine broke the record held by Gavi (17 years and 62 days) and Ansu Fati (17 years and 308 days).
The young academy player came on as a substitute in the 44th minute, replacing Asensio, who felt some discomfort. Lamine initially seemed a bit off, but he found his rhythm as minutes passed and eventually scored a goal that showcased his trademark style. He found the back of the net in the 74th minute, capitalizing on a precise cross from Nico Williams. It was a play where Lamine demonstrated one of his greatest assets: his ability to strike the ball with precision using the inside of his foot.
Instead of getting nervous, he calmly placed the ball into the top corner. It's one of the aspects that surprises people about the young footballer; despite being only 16 years old, he handles these situations with remarkable composure. He began by saying, "I'm very happy with my debut. I'm living a dream," and continued, "I want to thank the coach and my teammates for the confidence they have shown in me."
The forward acknowledges that he's feeling the change in level, going from playing with youth teams to competing with professionals. However, playing alongside teammates of this calibre also makes things easier for him.
"You can notice the difference in opponents, going from playing with the U17s to the senior team. But my teammates are also much better. It's clear that I'm very satisfied with the decision to play for Spain. We will achieve many things together," he said.
Coach Luis de la Fuente was the first to be impressed by the maturity of the young player. After the match, he couldn't hide his amazement at this special young man.
"Lamine surprises you every day. It's incredible that a 16-year-old plays with this level of confidence and naturalness," he acknowledged. For the coach, what he's seeing is similar to what happens at Barcelona: Lamine is ready to make a difference at the elite level right away.
"He's doing extraordinarily well at his club, and he has integrated perfectly. But I want to emphasize the importance of the group, of the veterans who have integrated him perfectly. There's a family concept, and that makes us stronger."
Lamine scored the seventh goal in a Spain team that dominated Georgia (7-1). The academy player played on the right-wing, his preferred position, forming the attack alongside Morata and Nico Williams.
Initially, he had difficulty getting past his marker, but he kept trying with dribbles and feints. His big moment came towards the end of the match with a highly anticipated goal. Lamine has scored for the national team before scoring for FC Barcelona's first team, a remarkable feat.
At 16 years and 57 days, he's the youngest footballer to score for any European national team in any type of match in the last 117 years (since October 7, 1906, when Hungarian player József Horváth scored at the age of 16 years and 12 days in a friendly match), as reported by Mister Chip, an expert in statistics. A goal for the history books.
