Julius Okorie
Spain teenage Lamine Yamal who turned 17 on Saturday July 13, has described the Euro Championship title as his best birthday gift. Yamal, emerged best young player in the just concluded tournament, just a day after he turned 17.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelYamal 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.
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Yamal plays for Barcelona, following 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.
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.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
