Lamine Yamal: A Rising Star in European Football
As Lamine Yamal approaches his 17th birthday on July 13, the young FC Barcelona striker is set to make history with the Spanish national team. The following day, he will play in the Euro 2024 final against either England or the Netherlands. If Spain wins, Yamal will become the youngest player ever to clinch the title in the history of the competition.
Yamal's journey has been nothing short of spectacular. On September 8, 2023, he made his debut for Spain, scoring his first goal at just 16 years, 1 month, and 26 days old. Since then, he has become an indispensable part of the team, racking up 13 matches, 3 goals, and 7 assists. His performance against France, where he scored his first official goal for La Roja, earned him the title of the youngest scorer at a Euro and the man of the match accolade.
Record-Breaking Performances
Yamal's rise has been meteoric. He was already the youngest player to start in the Champions League and the youngest scorer in La Liga history. This season, he has continued to break records, becoming the youngest scorer and passer in Euro 2024. With ten matches under his belt, he played a crucial role in Barça's European campaign, including the two quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain.
If Spain wins the Euro 2024 final, not only will Yamal add another record to his collection, but Spain will also become the first country to win the Euro four times, making history once again.
- The semi-final match between Spain and France was a nail-biter until the very end. Didier Deschamps' men were defeated 2-1 by a formidable Spanish team. Despite a lackluster performance throughout the tournament, the French team managed to garner significant viewer interest.
- TF1, the broadcaster of the match, saw its audience numbers soar with 16.12 million viewers tuning in live. The match achieved a market share of 61.2% among the general public aged four and over, and 74.8% among housewives over 50. This made it the most-watched broadcast of 2024, surpassing the quarter-final against Portugal, which had 12.7 million viewers.
- However, these numbers were still lower compared to the semi-final match between France and Germany in Euro 2016, which attracted 19.3 million viewers. This indicates that the 2024 edition failed to captivate a segment of the French audience, who were more engrossed in political events such as the legislative blitz.
