By: Coco Xu

After over 10 unfruitful years, Spain’s national men’s soccer team smashed a 2-1 victory over England in the Euro 2024 finals in Berlin, Germany on June 14, 2024. The player that led them to success? 16-year-old Lamine Yamal.

Lamal was born on July 13, 2007, in the Barcelona region of Catalonia, Spain. At age four he began playing soccer at the local club La Torreta and joined FC Barcelona at the age of seven. He then became the youngest player to play for the Spanish national soccer team at the age of 16. At Euro 24, Lamal’s tiebreaking goal during semifinals against France advanced his team to finals, and his pass during finals created Spain’s opening strike.

Yamal’s contributions extend far beyond the field. His youth, skill, and vigor had excited soccer fans flocking to see the match. 87 percent of Spaniards polled in a survey conducted by 40bD said they would be watching Sunday’s finals. Spain’s national airline, Iberia, even broadcasted the match to passengers on high-altitude flights.

Part of this enthusiasm can be attributed to the team’s comparatively wider range of representation. Yamal is of Moroccan descent, and his birthplace has been constantly stigmatized by Vox, Spain’s far-right populist party. Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal, two other notable members of the team, have roots in Ghana and the Basque Country, respectively. Big screens were set up in the Basque Country and Catalonia, two regions harboring strong separatist sentiment, so that fans could watch the match.

This victory marks a milestone in Spanish soccer, as it was the men’s team’s first major win in over a decade. Back in 2012, the team claimed its second European championship, and suffered a series of lackluster performances since then, not winning a single knockout game at the World Cup, and only winning two at the European Championship. “Today is a great day for Spanish sport,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who saw the game.

Image Credit by Florian Thomschke