Meet Lamine Yamal, the 16-year-old Spanish-Moroccan wonder kid
Spain's Lamine Yamal becomes the youngest player to score at Euros, and it is hoped will play a key part in the final against England on Sunday.
The New Arab Staff
12 July, 2024
There was joy for Lamine Yamal and heartbreak for Ons Jabeur [Getty/TNA]
The world of football is talking about one man, or should that be boy, this week - Lamine Yamal, the 16-year-old Barcelona star who helped Spain to the finals of the Euros.
On Wimbledon's Centre Court there was heartbreak as Ons Jabeur crashed out of the championship while a Saudi minister offered further insights into Al-Ittihad's swoop last summer on Liverpool's Mo Salah.
Lamine Yamal becomes youngest player to ever score at Euros
Spain's Lamine Yamal, of Equatoguinean and Moroccan descent, has become the youngest player ever to score at a men's European Championship, after he netted a stunner against France in the semi-final against France on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old Yamal netted in the 21st minute, curling a stunning finish past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan and into the top left corner off the inside of the post.
Yamal was 16 years and 362 days old when he netted the goal, which helped put Spain into the final of the Euros in Germany.
The previous youngest scorer was Swiss player Johan Vonlanthen (18 years, 141 days), also against France, at Euro 2004.
Yamal was born in Catalonia to a father from Morocco's Larache and a mother from Bata in the Equatorial Guinea.
He will likely start for Spain against England in the final, with La Roja favourites to lift the title for a fourth time on Sunday.
Tunisian tennis superstar in shock Wimbledon exit
Tunisian tennis ace Ons Jabeur suffered a shock Wimbledon third round exit after she suffered a 6-1, 7-6 by Ukrainian 21st seed Elina Svitolina on Saturday.
Jabeur had reached the previous two Wimbledon finals, but the 10th seed's hopes of making it three in a row were dashed in stunning fashion on Centre Court.
The 29-year-old's wait for a first Grand Slam title goes on after her earliest Wimbledon exit since 2019.
Jabeur said she was haunted by painful memories of last year's 6-4, 6-4 final defeat against Marketa Vondrousova when she returned to Centre Court on Saturday.
"I'm not going to lie to you. It was a bit of remembering last year. Especially not playing so good, not serving the way I wanted in the first set did bring a bit of sad memories," she said.
"But yeah, I still love the Centre Court, still hope to come back and win on it again."
Jabeur has been struggling with a nagging knee problem that will require an injection when she leaves Wimbledon.
"I need to take care of it. I think it's going to be a week or week and a half off because, yeah, medically I need to give it a little bit of time," she said.
"It is what it is. The knee, it's always going to bother me and I'm always going to play with it."
The Tunisian current world number 10 announced last month that she will not represent her country in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris to avoid further risk to her knee injury.
Saudi minister reveals details of Al-Ittihad's Mo Salah summer bid
Liverpool received an 'astronomical' sum from Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad for Mo Salah last summer, but soon withdrew their interest when the Premier League side made it clear he was a key part of their plans for that season, a Saudi minister has said.
Saudi Minister of Sports Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Saud offered insights into the Jeddah club's late-summer raid on the Liverpool forward, sparking suspicions that another Saudi Pro League club might make another bid for the Egyptian star.
Liverpool did not accept the £150 million offer for the forward, which came on the day the transfer window closed and would have left the Reds without a key part of their striking force.
Salah went on to play a key role in manager Jurgen Klopp's final season at the club but perhaps did not match the levels of his previous seasons at Liverpool.
"Al-Ittihad requested Salah, and the package was astronomical," the minister told sports writers Ben Jacobs.
"He was under contract and we [the Ministry of Sport] were not in direct negotiations. So we enquired to Liverpool and they said they had no desire to sell and so we ended the matter decisively."
Klopp's side said no and Salah went on to score 18 goals and made 10 assists in the league that season with Liverpool finishing a disappointing third.
The 32-year-old's contract with Liverpool expires next season, which could see another swoop for the player by a Saudi side without a transfer fee for the Premier League side.
The New Arab Staff
12 July, 2024
There was joy for Lamine Yamal and heartbreak for Ons Jabeur [Getty/TNA]
The world of football is talking about one man, or should that be boy, this week - Lamine Yamal, the 16-year-old Barcelona star who helped Spain to the finals of the Euros.
On Wimbledon's Centre Court there was heartbreak as Ons Jabeur crashed out of the championship while a Saudi minister offered further insights into Al-Ittihad's swoop last summer on Liverpool's Mo Salah.
Lamine Yamal becomes youngest player to ever score at Euros
Spain's Lamine Yamal, of Equatoguinean and Moroccan descent, has become the youngest player ever to score at a men's European Championship, after he netted a stunner against France in the semi-final against France on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old Yamal netted in the 21st minute, curling a stunning finish past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan and into the top left corner off the inside of the post.
Yamal was 16 years and 362 days old when he netted the goal, which helped put Spain into the final of the Euros in Germany.
The previous youngest scorer was Swiss player Johan Vonlanthen (18 years, 141 days), also against France, at Euro 2004.
Yamal was born in Catalonia to a father from Morocco's Larache and a mother from Bata in the Equatorial Guinea.
He will likely start for Spain against England in the final, with La Roja favourites to lift the title for a fourth time on Sunday.
Tunisian tennis superstar in shock Wimbledon exit
Tunisian tennis ace Ons Jabeur suffered a shock Wimbledon third round exit after she suffered a 6-1, 7-6 by Ukrainian 21st seed Elina Svitolina on Saturday.
Jabeur had reached the previous two Wimbledon finals, but the 10th seed's hopes of making it three in a row were dashed in stunning fashion on Centre Court.
The 29-year-old's wait for a first Grand Slam title goes on after her earliest Wimbledon exit since 2019.
Jabeur said she was haunted by painful memories of last year's 6-4, 6-4 final defeat against Marketa Vondrousova when she returned to Centre Court on Saturday.
"I'm not going to lie to you. It was a bit of remembering last year. Especially not playing so good, not serving the way I wanted in the first set did bring a bit of sad memories," she said.
"But yeah, I still love the Centre Court, still hope to come back and win on it again."
Jabeur has been struggling with a nagging knee problem that will require an injection when she leaves Wimbledon.
"I need to take care of it. I think it's going to be a week or week and a half off because, yeah, medically I need to give it a little bit of time," she said.
"It is what it is. The knee, it's always going to bother me and I'm always going to play with it."
The Tunisian current world number 10 announced last month that she will not represent her country in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris to avoid further risk to her knee injury.
Saudi minister reveals details of Al-Ittihad's Mo Salah summer bid
Liverpool received an 'astronomical' sum from Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad for Mo Salah last summer, but soon withdrew their interest when the Premier League side made it clear he was a key part of their plans for that season, a Saudi minister has said.
Saudi Minister of Sports Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Saud offered insights into the Jeddah club's late-summer raid on the Liverpool forward, sparking suspicions that another Saudi Pro League club might make another bid for the Egyptian star.
Liverpool did not accept the £150 million offer for the forward, which came on the day the transfer window closed and would have left the Reds without a key part of their striking force.
Salah went on to play a key role in manager Jurgen Klopp's final season at the club but perhaps did not match the levels of his previous seasons at Liverpool.
"Al-Ittihad requested Salah, and the package was astronomical," the minister told sports writers Ben Jacobs.
"He was under contract and we [the Ministry of Sport] were not in direct negotiations. So we enquired to Liverpool and they said they had no desire to sell and so we ended the matter decisively."
Klopp's side said no and Salah went on to score 18 goals and made 10 assists in the league that season with Liverpool finishing a disappointing third.
The 32-year-old's contract with Liverpool expires next season, which could see another swoop for the player by a Saudi side without a transfer fee for the Premier League side.
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