How a 16-Year-Old Kid Brought The Mighty France to Its Knees

How a 16-Year-Old Kid Brought The Mighty France to Its Knees – 

For years, France had been Spain’s nightmare. Euro 1984, Euro 2000, World Cup 2006, Nations League 2021, always the same ending. And in 2024, it was supposed to happen again. Spain were missing stars. France were stacked with champions. Everyone knew how this story ended. Everyone except a 16-year-old kid.

 Too young to drive, too young to vote. But that night, he would do what no one had done in over a decade. He would flip the script. This is the story of how a 16-year-old brought the mighty France to its knees. You see, following their period of extended success in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the Spain national team suffered a massive dip.

 With the golden generation aging and most of them having retired, Spain started to suffer on every stage. Their World Cup defense in 2014 was horrible. They crashed out in the group stages. Then they would end up crashing out in the round of 16 at the 2016 Euros as well as the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.

 It was obvious they needed a savior. At first they thought the savior they needed was a coach. So they went and hired former Barker man Luis Enrique. But despite being a treble winning gaffer, he was unable to restore Spain’s glory days. Thankfully though, back in Barcelona, one of Spain’s greatest ever players, Jaryi, was cooking something for his former club and the national team.

 He gave Lammen Yamal his first team debut at the age of 15 in the 2022 to 23 season and went on to give him even more responsibilities in the 2023 to 24 season at just 16 years of age. That full season playing first team football got the kid fully ready for the national team. So Spain’s coach Luis de Lauente called him up to the first team for Euro 2024 qualifiers, making him the youngest player in Spain’s history.

 After the teenager showed real maturity during the qualifiers, the coach was confident about taking him to the Euros. But not only was the kid on the team, he was catapulted straight to the starting 11. Best decision the coach ever made. Lamin Yamal made his Euro’s debut in the group stage against Croatia, becoming the youngest player to ever make an appearance and provide an assist in Euro’s history.

 He announced himself to the world in incredible fashion. But we had seen nothing yet. He was just getting started. In the round of 16 game against Georgia, he became the youngest ever player to feature in a knockout game in Euros history. And then when he went up against host Germany, he set up a goal to set up a much anticipated quarterfinal game between Spain and France.

 With his assist, Lem Yamal entered Spanish football history, entering an exclusive list of Spanish legends to record three assists in a single Euros tournament. Only Ces Fàregas, David Silva, and Danny Almo had done it before him. Remember, he was just 16. It was already super crazy what the kid had done so far. But what the world didn’t know was that he was cooking something even crazier for the next game. All we had to do was wait.

Having put up amazing performances and broken all sorts of records in that tournament, Lamin became one of the players to watch. He was now the name on everyone’s lips. Everyone was talking about him, including the French players, especially the French players. Adrienne Rabio infamously said a semifinal in a big tournament could be difficult for the teenager and he would need to do more than he had been doing to get past France.

The French midfielder said that he and his teammates would put pressure on the Barcelona player and make sure he is uncomfortable. Lamin Yamal saw that and immediately went on social media to post a cryptic response. He put up a post on his Instagram which said, “Move in silence.

 Only speak when it’s time to say checkmate.” For a child, that was an incredibly bold thing to say, especially considering the history that existed between these two nations on the biggest stages. You see, ahead of that game, France had often got the better of Spain when it mattered most. When they met in the final of the 1984 Euros, France won.

When they met in the quarterfinal of Euro 2000, France won. When they met in the round of 16 of the 2006 World Cup, France won. And when they met in the 2021 Nations League final, France won again. Spain were tired of being the liel bro in this fixture. But the fact is that they really didn’t really have a response to France’s star-studded team.

France had Kian Mbappe, Usman Dembele, Antoan Griezmann, and Golo Conte, William Saliba, Bradley Barola, Eduardo Kamovinga, Jules Kundai, Olivier Giru. Literally everywhere you looked, France had a big name. Meanwhile, Spain were missing some of their best players like Pedri, Danny Carvajal, and Robin Lenormont.

 France had just reached the final of the last two World Cup tournaments, while Spain bowed out in the round of 16 of both editions and hadn’t reached the final in 14 years. So, everything was pointing to Spain coming out of this game being the little bro once again. Ironically, the Spaniards were left with only one option.

 They were forced to look up to their little bro, the youngest player on their team and in the history of the competition. They beckoned on Lamin Yamal and the young boss picked up the phone very early on in the game. In the fifth minute, he sent in a very inviting cross into the box from the right side of attack, but Fabian Ruiz was unable to keep his header down, sending the ball high over the bar.

 The game had just begun, but the entire nation of France had already started to feel shivers down their spine because of this adolescent. But hey, they had Killian Mbappe on their team, the OG Wonder Kid, the man who won them the World Cup in 2018 and made Leonel Messi and Argentina shiver in 2022. Surely they had nothing to fear. And well, Mbappe actually did step up for his country to put them at ease.

 In the eighth minute, Dembele sent a crossfield ball to Mbappé, who took his time and carefully picked out Randall Kolani in a box that was packed with eight Spanish players. The ball was put on a plate for Kola Moani, and he did what he had to do, carefully guiding the ball into the back of the net. The keeper could do absolutely nothing about it.

 Many came to see Yamal and Spain, but it was looking like it was going to be an Mbappe and France show, and it looked like it was about to quickly go from bad to worse for Spain. In the 14th minute, Rabio was storming towards the Spain box, and it looked so dangerous that Jesus Navas had to foul him to stop him from causing any damage.

 He got a yellow card for that, and France started to target the 38-year-old right back as a weak point in the Spain defense. In the 19th minute, France came knocking again from Narvis’s side. Mbappé had the ball on the left flank and he cut in and unleashed a shot, but Leaport made a very timely block.

 The ball nearly fell kindly for Ko Mouani, but the French striker wasn’t alert. That could easily have been 2-0 right there. Spain were holding on for dear life. It felt like once again they would end up as little bro to France. The fans had hoped that Laminal would save them, but 20 minutes in, it seemed like an amber alert may have gone off somewhere cuz the kid had gone missing.

 But when his team seemed like they were on the brink of drowning, the little prince showed up with the golden kiss to awaken the sleeping Spain. Lamin received the ball a few meters outside the France box and immediately he was surrounded by a sea of white. Seven French players in front and around him.

 What was he going to do? He had Marata to his right and Almo in front and he could have passed to either of them, but he saw Adrien Rabio in front of him, remembered what the French midfielder said about him before the game, and thought to himself, “Nah, this is personal. I’ll do it myself.” He made a right turn and then a quick left turn to shake Rabio off, then boom, he unleashed the most astounding strike of the entire tournament.

 Mike Manion was at full stretch, but he could do absolutely nothing about that shot. Even two goalkeepers could not have stopped that from finding the back of the net. That goal turned the stadium upside down. Commentators everywhere were screaming at the top of their lungs. Spanish fans were jumping, hugging, clapping, and spilling their drinks in excitement while the French were holding their heads and staring in disbelief.

Those who were watching from their TVs were tweeting, posting, and commenting. Social media was going absolutely crazy. That right there was a moment of history, and everyone who was watching anywhere in the world could tell instantly. With that goal, Laminal became the youngest player to ever score a goal in the history of the Euros.

 On its own, that was an incredible strike, an even more incredible moment considering the game state. But to think that it was a 16-year-old kid who pulled that off was just so mindboggling. How the heck was it even possible? I mean, this was a guy that Spain nearly didn’t play because German laws prohibit kids under the age of 18 from 

working past 11 p.m. A kid who was only 3 years old when Spain won the World Cup in 2010. A kid who was not yet old enough to open a bank account of his own. This was the kid who was doing this to the mighty France, the number two ranked team in the world. It was absolutely bonkers. But you know the scary part? He wasn’t even done yet.

 2 minutes later, he found himself in the same zone. But this time, he laid a pass in the pocket for Elmo, who then played the ball wide to Jesus Navas. Naras sent a cross into the France box, which was headed out by Celiba. But unfortunately for him, it only went as far as Danny Almo. The midfielder took two brilliant touches in quick succession and boom, he unleashed a shot so powerful that in trying to clear it off the line, Kundai could only send it into the back of his own net.

And just like that, Spain had turned the game on its head. And it all started from that moment of brilliance from Lamein Yaml, which woke them up. But guess what? Yaml wasn’t even done responding to Rabio and other folks who doubted him. The next time he replied, he broke the internet. But for now, he focused on finishing the job.

 In the 36th minute, Yamal came close to providing his fourth assist of the tournament. He cut in from the right and sent a pass to Fabian Ruiz, but the midfielder shot was blocked by Chumeni. A few minutes later, Spain mounted a counterattack. Nico Williams ran with the ball down the left and laid a pass for Lamine Yamal.

 He cut in and for a second looked like he was about to recreate his goal from earlier, but Theo Hernandez was at the right place to make a big block and sent the ball out for a corner. Nothing more happened in the first half, so French fans looked to the second period and hoped it would provide them a solution to Spain’s teenage threat.

 But with France now desperately looking for an equalizer, it often left them wide open at the back and Spain exploited that. One minute after the start of the second half, Nico Williams mounted another threatening counter. This time, France needed their goalkeeper to make the long run far away from his box to make a very important tackle.

But that threat from Spain didn’t discourage France for one second. They kept knocking. Dembele’s cross in the 47th minute deflected off Kukurella, but Unai Simon handled it easily. Chumeni’s header from a corner in the 53rd minute was also handled easily by Simon. While Mbappé’s 56th minute shot was a little scarier, but saved nonetheless by the Spanish goalkeeper.

 There was so much tension in the game at this point and everyone could feel it. There was a lot of nailbiting and hearts racing in the stadium. But in the 57th minute, a pitch invader ran into the field of play and that helped to douse the tension a little, but only a little because the moment the invader was taken off, France went back to attacking.

 Dembele very nearly caught Semon off his line with his 60thminut shot from a tight angle, but the goalkeeper’s strong arm was enough to stop the ball from going in. At this point, desperation began to creep in for France. Decisions became rushed and things started to go sideways. Chumeni picked up a yellow card for a hard tackle on Marata in the 60th minute.

 And then a couple minutes later, Upper Mano was unable to keep his header down. In the 75th minute, there was some confusion in the Spain box and the ball eventually fell to Theo, but he couldn’t keep his shot on target. The second half was pretty much all France, but Lem was determined to have the last laugh. So, he took the ball in the 81st minute, cut in from the right, and sent a very powerful shot toward the French goal, but he missed by a few centime.

 5 minutes later, Mbappé did almost the same thing on the opposite end of the pitch, cutting in but sending his shot over the bar. The 90 minutes were now up, and we were in additional time, but Leblur didn’t give up. In the 91st minute, Theo Hernandez took the ball and started to make a dangerous run towards the Spanish box.

Lame looked up and saw that there weren’t many Spanish players ahead. So, he decided to take one for the team. He was not going to just watch all his hard work go to waste at the last minute. So, he pulled Hernandez down. He got a yellow card, but he didn’t mind at all. He was just 16, but he already knew so much about taking responsibility.

 That foul right there would end up being very important. France were unable to do anything from the free kick and a few minutes later the referee’s whistle went for full time. Spain had just beaten France in a major tournament for the first time in 12 years. It was only their second victory over France in seven major tournament meetings.

 And it was all thanks to a 16-year-old. That right there was checkmate. So, Lamin Yamal looked right at the camera and said, “Speak now.” Referencing Adrien Rabio and other opponents who had a lot to say about him before the game. And to prove that it wasn’t a fluke, Yamal went to the Nations League the following year and scored twice to help Spain beat France yet again.

 Anyway, after having helped Spain secure a ticket to the Euro 2024 final, Yamal went on to assist the opener against England, helping Spain win the Euros for the first time in 12 years. He was named young player of the tournament, but many said that the kid should have also been named player of the tournament. That’s how good he was.

It was his first ever international tournament, but it was easily one of the best campaigns we had ever seen from any player. But before Laminal, there was Kian Mbappé. And just two years prior, the France number 10 was making Leonel Messi and the whole of Argentina tremble with fear.

 If you want to hear the story of how the Frenchman made an entire country shiver, click here and I’ll tell you all about it.