Lamine Yamal became the youngest player ever to score at a men’s European Championship on Tuesday when he netted in the semi-final against France.
The 16-year-old Yamal scored in the 21st minute, firing a beautiful curling shot past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan and hitting the inside of the post into the top left corner.
Yamal is 16 years and 362 days old. The previous youngest scorer was Switzerland’s Johan Vonlanthen (18 years, 141 days), also against France, at Euro 2004.
This is the second major record for the Barcelona teenager. At 16 years and 338 days old, he was already the youngest ever participant in a European Championship, when he took part in Spain’s Group B victory over Croatia.
Yamal took over that record from Polish midfielder Kacper Kozłowski, who was 17 years and 246 days old when he came on as a substitute against Spain at Euro 2020 (which was played in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
“He keeps breaking records,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said of Yamal after the match against Croatia. “He is growing, maturing and improving every day.
“He is on his way to becoming a great player, but he is very young and we have to be patient with him.”
The half-time score was 2-1, with Yamal’s goal cancelling out Randal Kolo Muani’s opening goal for France.
Four minutes after Yamal’s goal, French defender Jules Koundé fired the ball into his own net to give Spain the lead.