Lamine Yamal of Spain celebrates with his winners medal and ‘Best Young Player’ award after victory over England in the UEFA EURO 2024 final match at Olympiastadion on July 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Spain’s teenage phenom Lamine Yamal won the European Championship and the tournament’s best young player award just a day after he turned 17. Yamal earned it mostly while he was still 16, but he crowned his contribution to Spain’s success by setting up Nico Williams’ opening goal in a 2-1 win over England in the final on July 14, 2024.

“This is the best (birthday) gift I could have asked for. It’s a dream come true,” Yamal said. “It got tough when they tied the score, but I don’t know what this team is made of because we always fight back.”

Yamal became the youngest player to appear at the European Championship, the youngest to score in the tournament, and the youngest to play in a final. He finished with four assists and one goal in his debut European Championship.

Yamal plays for Barcelona, following in the footsteps of his idol, Lionel Messi, after coming through the club’s famed La Masia training academy. He’s also the youngest goalscorer in the Spanish league.

Harry Kane and Dani Olmo end in a 6-way tie for Golden Boot top scorer

England striker Harry Kane finished Euro 2024 in a six-way tie for the Golden Boot top scorer as his team lost the final. It was another individual accolade for a player yet to win a major trophy for club or country.

Kane ended the tournament tied on three goals with Spain midfielder Dani Olmo, Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala, Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, Slovakia winger Ivan Schranz and Georgia striker Georges Mikautadze.

Kane has now been a runner-up in back-to-back European Championship finals after England’s loss to Italy three years ago, and a runner-up in one Champions League final and two English League Cups. He’s won a string of individual awards, including Bundesliga top scorer last season at Bayern Munich, but the German club had its first season without a trophy since 2012.

Kane is one of four men’s players to have been top scorer at both a European Championship and a World Cup, something he achieved in 2018.

UEFA allowed multiple players to share the Euro 2024 top scorer award if they scored the same number of goals, in a change from recent tournaments. At the last men’s European Championship, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Czech striker Patrik Schick both had five goals but Ronaldo was named the winner because he had an assist and Schick had none.

Southgate to discuss England future after Euro final defeat

England coach Gareth Southgate said he would discuss his future in charge of the national team after Sunday’s defeat left him once again trying to work out why glory had eluded his side.

England lost in the tournament’s showpiece match for the second time in a row under Southgate after substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored an 86th-minute goal to give Spain victory.

Asked whether he would continue in the job, Southgate told reporters: “I totally understand the question and understand you need to ask it, but I need to have those conversations with important people behind the scenes and I’m obviously not going to discuss that publicly first.

“Without a doubt, England have got some fabulous young players,” he added. “We have now been consistently back in the matches that matter. It’s the last step that we haven’t been able to do.”

England – with only the 1966 World Cup to their name as a major trophy – have become a force in tournaments since Southgate took over the team at a low ebb in 2016. They reached a semi-final and a quarter-final at the last two World Cups as well as the final of Euro 2020 — when they lost to Italy on penalties — and 2024.

“It’s hard to reflect so soon after a defeat like this,” Southgate said when asked if he would be in charge of England for the 2026 World Cup. “Of course, to take England to two finals has never been done but we came here to win and we haven’t been able to do that.”

Spain’s Lamine Yamal, center, scores his side’s first goal during a semifinal match between Spain and France at the Euro 2024 tournament in Munich, Germany, on July 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Lamine Yamal became the youngest player ever to score at the European Championship when the 16-year-old netted a stunning goal for Spain in its European Championship semifinal 2-1 victory over France on Tuesday.

Yamal will turn 17 on Saturday, a day before the final in Berlin against either England or the Netherlands.

“I only ask to win, win and win,” said Yamal, who was voted player of the match. “I will celebrate my birthday in Germany with my team.”

Yamal struck in the 21st minute, curling the ball past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan from around 25 yards and into the top left corner.

“I don’t know if it is the best goal of the tournament, but it is the most special goal for me because it is my first goal with the team at a European Championship,” he said.

Yamal is 16 years and 362 days old. The previous youngest scorer at a European Championship was Swiss player Johan Vonlanthen (18 years, 141 days), against France at Euro 2004.

“We are very happy to reach the final. Now comes the most important part — winning the title,” Yamal said. “We were in a difficult stretch after not expecting to concede so early. I just took the ball and wanted to put it right there.

“I don’t try to think about it too much, just enjoy myself and help the team, and if it goes my way, then I am happy (for the goal) and for the win.”

More records

Yamal came to Euro 2024 with a bunch of “youngest” records, and has inevitably set more. He became the youngest player to feature at a men’s Euro when he started in Spain’s opening 3-0 win over Croatia.

The Barcelona teenager was already the youngest player to debut and score in the Spanish league at 15, the youngest player to start in the Champions League and the youngest to score for Spain.

“We saw a touch of genius by a great player who we all know and have to nurture forward,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. “And I can only advise him to keep going forward with the same humility and work ethic and with his feet firmly on the ground.

“He will keep improving with the same attitude, professionality and maturity that he shows during games, despite being so young, which makes him look older and more experienced than he really is. But above all he should enjoy playing for us. Hopefully we can enjoy him for many years.”

Yamal’s goal Tuesday canceled out Randal Kolo Muani’s opener for France — that was set up by Kylian Mbappé, who was playing without a mask.

Spain turned the match around four minutes after Yamal’s equalizer when Dani Olmo’s goal-bound shot was turned into the net by France defender Jules Koundé. It was originally adjudged by UEFA to have been an own-goal but was later awarded to Olmo.

“They scored first but we planned well for the game and stuck to our plan. Lamine scored a great goal,” Olmo said.

Yamal almost nabbed another spectacular goal nine minutes from time with a powerful strike that flew narrowly over the crossbar.

“When there was only half an hour to go I was thinking that we were going to the final,” Yamal said. “I could only think that.”

“And when the referee blew the final whistle I was very happy because I always remember the last European Championship that I saw with my friends in a shopping mall,” he said, recalling the last time he had to watch as a spectator. “This is a dream come true to reach the final with the national team.”