‘Before, I was like a kid’… Barcelona wonderkid talks about the aftermath of his big goal against France during EURO 2024 | OneFootball

FC Barcelona is a club that has been represented by some of history’s greatest football players. After all, given the club’s history and prestige, that fact comes as no surprise. However, Barcelona players often announce themselves on the international stage as well.

While it is always important to do well in terms of club football, there is a special kind of value when it comes to accomplishments and achievements at the international level. Fortunately for Barcelona players, it is something that they often end up doing as well.

For 17-year-old Barça winger Lamine Yamal, that is especially true as he led Spain to victory in the 2024 edition of the European Championship. Having been 16 for most of the tournament, his contributions in that entire competition were simply pivotal in his country’s success.

However, perhaps his own best moment came in the semi-final of the tournament against France. An intense affair, it needed a spark of brilliance from Lamine Yamal himself to tie the game up after Spain had gone a goal down early on.

By scoring an absolute screamer of a goal, Yamal not only became the youngest goalscorer in the competition’s history but also helped Spain develop the momentum they needed to win that game. Now, several months later, Yamal spoke about that goal again in a recent interview.

As highlighted by AS, the Barcelona winger made it clear that the tournament and the goal in question was one that possibly changed his approach overall and that of his opponents as well when they face him:

“It changed me and also the opponent. Before, I was like a kid, but since I won the EURO, everything is different. I no longer seem like a kid; I go with more confidence. When you win a title, all players take a step forward, and you can feel it. I remember parts of the goal against France. I saw it hit the post and go in. I remember the celebration, and my mother was crying in the stands.”

Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images

It was understandably a big moment for Yamal and his family, but it was also a huge moment for Spain as a whole. By delivering top performance after top performance, the Barcelona wonderkid eventually helped his country lift the trophy as well.

However, the 17-year-old winger had no plans of stopping there. Since then, he has developed his game and is now seen as one of the world’s best players despite his young age. While there is no absolute idea of what the ceiling is for the young winger, he has already managed to establish a rather supernatural floor.