Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal set to break Pele record in Euro 2024 semi-final clash against France
Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal could potentially break a record held by Brazil legend Pele when Spain face France in the EURO 2024 semi-final clash. Both European giants are two major contenders to win the competition, but one of them will have to bow out before the final.
Yamal has been one of the best young players in the world since he broke through Barca's youth system to cement a spot in their first team aged 16. The talented wonderkid was fundamental to how the Blaugrana attacked in La Liga last season, and he has been vital for Spain in EURO 2024.
Playing all five games in the competition to help La Roja reach the semi-finals, the Spaniard has provided three assists. Now, if he does set foot on the Allianz Arena to play for Spain in their match against France, he will do so only four days before he turns 17 on July 13.
This will make him the youngest player to feature in a World Cup or EUROs semi-final, beating Pele's record which has stood since the World Cup of 1958. Notably, a young Pele was only aged 17 years, 244 days (via Barca Universal). Yamal will be hoping he can open his scoring tally against France, as it would also make him the youngest ever goalscorer in the history of the EUROs.
Barcelona lose out on signing teenage talent Jorthy Mokio; father explains why
Barcelona have had an impressive list of quality youngsters coming through the ranks in recent years. The most notable have been Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, as both players burst onto the scene last season, exciting the fans.
The club were gunning for Jorthy Mokio, who eventually went to Ajax, and his father Thierry Mokio has explained why it was a necessary decision. He had a conversation with Het Belang van Limburg, where he explained that his son moving to Camp Nou would have been too massive a step up.
He said (via Barca Blaugranes):
“Barcelona said: we are going to do like with Lamine Yamal, or Cubarsi. We spoke with Deco, the sporting director, because he would train with the first team. But the pressure there is of another dimension.
“If it doesn’t work, you end up at Osasuna for example and you’re lost. This step was too big. At one point, we wanted to sign there, but then we see that they could sell a 19-year-old defender to Porto because they have too many. I couldn’t do that to my son.”
Jorthy Mokio will hope he can take European football by storm in the coming years, just like his peers at Barcelona are doing currently.