Spanish and world football have a new rising star, the 17-year-old prodigy who helped the “bulls” win Euro 2024. It’s none other than Lamine Yamal.

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Two days before winning Euro 2024, prodigy Lamine Yamal – one of the most famous figures of Euro 2024 had a long interview with Marca to share about his love of football and his feelings when he is always compared to famous players like Lionel Messi or Mbappe.

The “Euro Phenomenon” entered the interview with the typical shyness of a 17-year-old who has amazed the world every time he steps on the field. His shy appearance in front of the media is in stark contrast to his confidence on the field, his bravery and maturity when Lamine Yamal confronts the world’s top players.

Lamine Yamal is the best young player of Euro, the “phenomenon” that helps Spain win Euro 2024

PV: Who do you remember most in the hours before the final?

Lamine Yamal: Especially my parents. They suffered a lot because of me. They were always there for me. They were the ones who took me to play football when I was little. When we beat France, I like to imagine how happy they would be because we won and because I scored the goal.

PV: Friends in the park, at the bank, in the Rocafonda area, what messages do they send you these days, what do they say to you?

Lamine Yamal: They were panicking. The semi-final against France was an explosion. They told me that on the street in Mataró, everyone was shouting my name. My friends suddenly panicked.

PV: Your friends are panicking and all of Spain is panicking. Are you aware of that?

Lamine Yamal: Not much, because here we are isolated from everything that happens and is talked about. And I think that’s good for us.

Q: How do you have such long lasting focus?

Lamine Yamal: We have everything we need. Plus, here we do something that is impossible in Spain: go out for a walk and people don’t recognise you. I like Nico and Fermin a lot, as well as Laporte, Morata…

PV: Carvajal kept telling Rodri to sign for Real Madrid, did he tell you?

Lamine Yamal: No, no, I will always play at Barcelona.

PV: At the age of 16, who asked for your Euro jersey?

Lamine Yamal: Mbappé asked me to exchange shirts and Chiesa’s on the day we played Italy. The staff told me afterwards. If Mbappé asked, I would have given it to him. No problem. I don’t remember. When we beat France, I was thinking about the final, so excited that I don’t remember anything.

Lamine Yamal reveals Mbappe once asked for his shirt

PV: What birthday gift do you want?

Lamine Yamal: I told my mother that if we win I don’t want anything as a present. I just want to celebrate it in Madrid with my teammates. And that’s it. It can drive people crazy. From the airport everyone is crazy! We will arrive with incredible excitement. Winning the Euro Cup is something crazy that hasn’t been done since 2012.

 

PV: Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams’ dance has been a hit for a while now. Have you prepared anything to celebrate?

Lamine Yamal: We don’t want to say in advance, we will see if we win or not.

PV: We have talked about many things, but not about how to beat England.

Lamine Yamal: Playing like we are doing, like against Germany or France. It’s us, always having the ball and controlling the game. I believe we are the best in this field and no one can stop us if we do that. We see that there is no team like Spain, playing the ball, being under pressure… We are doing very well. In the end, increasing that intensity is important. Without it, you cannot win a Euro final.

PV: How does it feel for a 17-year-old to live with famous players at the Euro Cup ?

Lamine Yamal: They treated me very well, they didn’t treat me like a 16, 17 year old kid but more like a baby.

PV: People talk a lot about Lamine, Nico, but very little about Rodri, isn’t that a bit unfair to Man City players?

Lamine Yamal: As everyone knows, he is the best in his position, one of the best players in the world. He is a very important part. Without him, every game would be crazy, out of control.

PV: Many people compare you with Messi, what do you think about that?

Lamine Yamal: I try to be Lamine. I try to be recognized by people. Comparing myself to the best player in history is not going to help me, because I will never be like him. I try to be myself so that people recognize me from Lamine Yamal and that’s it.

Lamine doesn’t compare himself to Messi because “it won’t help me, because I will never be like him”

PV: You may still be considered a kid, but from now on everyone is talking about Lamine, how have you taken everything in?

Lamine Yamal: Nothing special. I always try to keep my feet on the ground. Think about football and only football and enjoy with my family after the matches. I don’t care what other people say about me.

PV: Has anyone given you a warning?

Lamine Yamal: When I go home to my mother, she tells me to wear flip flops, don’t go barefoot, do this, do that… All of those things ultimately remind me that I’m still a kid.

PV: Do you still clean and organize your room like other kids your age?

Lamine Yamal: Yes, of course. I live in Masía and I have to make the bed, prepare everything, set the alarm clock. I do childish things.

PV: What will you tell your one and a half year old brother, who often falls asleep during matches, about the Eurocup when he grows up?

Lamine Yamal: “I will regret not knowing and realizing what I am going through, because it is something unbelievable.” I hope that when he grows up, he will be calm and live peacefully and be able to study well.