Spain teenager Lamine Yamal lived up to his reputation as one of the most gifted young players in world football and a superstar of the future as his wonder strike secured a 2-1 win over France in the European Championship semi-final.
Yamal eclipsed Brazilian great Pele to become the youngest player to score in a major tournament with a stunning 21st-minute strike from around 25 yards that sailed into the top corner past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, helping Spain rally from a goal down.
Yamal entered the Euros with a number of 'youngest to' records next to his name. The Barcelona sensation had already made a name for himself as the youngest player to debut and score in La Liga at just 15 years of age, the youngest to start in the Champions League and also score for Spain.
It was only matter of time before he replicated it at the highest levels of international football.
How old is Lamine Yamal?
Yamal is 16 years and 362 days old, as of Wednesday. He broke the record of the previous youngest scorer at a Euros – Switzerland's Johan Vonlanthen, who scored against France in 2004 at the age of 18 years and 141 days.
Yamal will turn 17 on July 13, a day before the Euro 2024 final in Berlin against either England or the Netherlands.
Yamal's background
Yamal was born in Catalonia and grew up in Granollers and Mataro. He has a special connection with the place he grew up – Rocafonda, on Catalonia’s Maresme coast and on the edge of Mataro.
His unique celebration pays homage to his home – a 3-0-4 sign in reference to the postcode of where he grew up. When Yamal was seven years old, his family moved to Barcelona where he joined Barcelona's youth academy.
There, former Barca manager Xavi spotted Yamal among the academy cadets (the 14-15 year olds) and promptly invited him to train with first team. He was fast tracked to the senior Barca team within a year, bypassing the tier system that even the great Lionel Messi had to go through. And he has not looked back since.
Yamal's family and religion
Yamal’s father Mounir was born in Morocco and mother Sheila in Equatorial Guinea. His paternal family members are Muslim.
What they said
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said Yamal is a "genius" after being named named player of the match against France.
"We have seen a genius, the product of a genius," De la Fuente said. "He's a player we have to take care of – I have to give him the advice to keep working with the same humility and keep his feet on the floor.
"He would keep growing but this maturity and attitude at such a young age is like that of a more experienced player. We are lucky he is Spanish and we can enjoy him for many more years."
The Messi connection
Yamal has long been compared the other young sensation who burst onto the scene at Barcelona – Messi. And as it turns out, they did cross paths at Barca.
Recently, Yamal's father Mounir posted a photo on social media showing a young Messi holding a baby for a charity calendar that was made almost 16 years ago. The baby in the photo is Yamal.
There, Barcelona players posed with children and their families for a calendar as part of an annual charity event by local newspaper and Unicef. Messi was 20 years old at the time.
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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The five pillars of Islam
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
TOURNAMENT INFO
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Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
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The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
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