Spain prodigy Lamine Yamal said winning Euro 2024 was the best birthday gift he could have asked for as the teenager capped a memorable tournament by walking off with the Best Young Player award.
Yamal, who turned 17 a day before Sunday's final, was one of the stars of the tournament as Spain claimed a historic fourth European Championship title with a 2-1 win over England in Berlin.
Spain set a new record by winning all seven of their games at the Euros, with Yamal providing some memorable moments including one of the goals of the tournament in the 2-1 win over France in the semi-finals.
He played an important part in the final, too, supplying the assist for Nico Williams to fire in Spain's opening goal.
“This is the best [birthday] gift I could have asked for. It’s a dream come true,” Yamal said. “It got tough when they tied the score, but I don’t know what this team is made of because we always fight back.”
England substitute Cole Palmer had equalised for England, but Mikel Oyarzabal clinched Spain’s win in the 86th.
Yamal set up Williams to score in the 47th minute by drifting inside Luke Shaw and playing the ball across to the left for the Athletic Bilbao winger to hit first time inside the far post. Yamal also brought two good saves from England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
“Lamine is incredible, as you’ve all seen during this tournament,” Williams said. “The sky’s the limit for him. As well as being a good player, he’s also a great person.”
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Yamal, the son of a Moroccan father and a mother from Equatorial Guinea, became the youngest player to appear at the European Championship, the youngest to score in the tournament, and the youngest to play in a final.
Yamal plays for Barcelona, following in the footsteps of his hero, Lionel Messi, after coming through the club's famed La Masia training academy. He is the club's and the Spanish league's youngest goalscorer as well as the Spanish national team.
He finished with four assists and one goal in his debut European Championship.
Man-of-the-match Williams dedicated the win to his parents and said there was a "historical change" in the Spanish national team.
The 22-year-old winger, who like Yamal celebrated a birthday in the build up to the final, is also the son of immigrants.
Williams' parents arrived as refugees in northern Spain from Ghana and his older brother Inaki represents the African nation.
"My family has fought for this moment. This is for all of them, everyone who believed in me from the very beginning," said Williams.
"My parents have suffered a lot to get here, they've suffered the most and have instilled this respect and loyalty in me.
"At the end of the day I think footballers have a lot of impact in society and I'm really happy because we're making history."
Asked if Spain were now favourites for the 2026 World Cup, Williams replied that the immediate focus was on savouring their success in Germany.
"First of all, we need to enjoy this victory at the Euros," he said.
"Two years, two very long years, but we will take things step by step."
While Spain’s exhilarating youngsters led the charge to a record fourth European Championship, it fell to a player who has lived through the hard side of football to clinch the title.
What Oyarzabal lacks in panache he more than makes up for in his work-ethic.
“I don’t know if it was karma, fate or who knows what, but something put me in that position to score that goal,” Oyazarbal said.
Oyarzabal, a 27-year-old striker for Real Sociedad, has been a regular for Spain both under coach De la Fuente and his predecessor, Luis Enrique.
He missed out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to a knee injury but made notable impacts off the bench for La Roja, none more so than in Sunday's final.
“After my injury, I am so fortunate to be able to feel this immense joy after having gone through what I went .through, I am just incredibly happy and proud,” Oyarzabal said. “It fell to me to score the winner, but it could have been any of my teammates.
“We have been here 45 days, giving it our all, and we feel like we are a family.”
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said he was proud of his team, widely considered the best at the tournament.
"This group of players can keep growing and improving because they don't get tired of it, of competing, of trying to win, of making you proud of them, from the first day until the last, now," added the coach.
"I am happy for my country, for Spain, for the excitement we generated and I hope [people] feel the same pride, thanks to all these footballers."
