(foto: Getty Images)
Lamine Yamal stunned teammates by napping before Spain's Euro 2024 semifinal against France, where he scored a crucial goal in their 2-1 victory.
Top footballers often claim they don’t feel pressure, and this seems to be true for Lamine Yamal, the 17-year-old sensation from Barcelona and the Spanish national team.
Comparisons to football greats are inevitable, and Yamal's calm demeanor evokes memories of Andrea Pirlo playing video games before the 2006 World Cup final. At Euro 2024, Yamal took it to another level: he slept on the team bus before the high-stakes semifinal against France.
"We were heading into the semifinal against France. I was shaking, absolutely nervous – and Lamine just fell asleep on the bus! I still don’t understand how he managed that," teammate Nico Williams recalled with amazement.
Yamal didn’t just shake off the nerves; he delivered on the pitch, scoring a stunning long-range goal that helped Spain secure a 2-1 win over France. His standout performance earned him the award for the tournament’s Best Young Player.
The teenager’s incredible season extends to his club, where he has contributed six goals and eight assists in 16 matches across all competitions for Barcelona. The Catalan giants face Las Palmas (17th in La Liga) tomorrow at 2:00 PM in their next league clash.