17-year-old Spain sensation and birthday boy Lamine Yamal won the Young Player Award at the just concluded Euro final 2024.
Yamal was a key player who started all of Spain’s matches and was significant in the final against England when Spain went on to lift the trophy.
“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.”
Yamal 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.
He finished with four assists and one goal in his debut European Championship.
Yamal plays for Barcelona and he is also the youngest goalscorer in the Spanish league.
In other news, England striker Harry Kane finished Euro 2024 in a six-way tie for the Golden Boot top scorer as his team lost the final. It was another individual accolade for a player yet to win a major trophy for club or country.
Kane ended the tournament tied on three goals with Spain midfielder Dani Olmo, Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala, Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, Slovakia winger Ivan Schranz and Georgia striker Georges Mikautadze.
UEFA allowed multiple players to share the Euro 2024 top scorer award if they scored the same number of goals, in a change from recent tournaments.
England lost in the tournament’s final match for the second time in a row under Southgate after substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored an 86th-minute goal to give Spain victory.