The 2024 European Championship in Germany is set to witness historic age records with Spain’s Lamine Yamal poised to become the youngest player in tournament history and Portugal’s Pepe on track to be the oldest.
Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, who is Spain’s youngest international and goalscorer, will break new ground if he takes the field in Spain’s Group B opener against Croatia in Berlin on Saturday. At just 16 years, 11 months, and 2 days old, Yamal will shatter the record previously set by Poland’s Kacper Kozlowski, who played at the last European Championship at 17 years and 246 days old.
This anticipated milestone adds to the historical context where Kozlowski had eclipsed the record set just six days earlier by England’s Jude Bellingham, who was 17 years and 349 days during his debut at Euro 2020 against Croatia.
Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente, while not disclosing his starting lineup, praised Yamal’s exceptional talent. “He’s a young boy with an incredible talent, it’s almost a gift from God. Very few players have his attributes in terms of understanding the game,” de la Fuente remarked on Friday.
The record for the youngest scorer in the European Championship still belongs to Switzerland’s Johan Vonlanthen, who was 18 years and 141 days old when he scored against France in Euro 2004.
The tournament is also expected to see Portugal’s centre back Pepe surpass the record for the oldest player, currently held by Hungary’s Gabor Kiraly. Kiraly was 40 years and 86 days old when he played against Belgium in the round of 16 at Euro 2016. Pepe will be 41 years and 113 days old when Portugal faces the Czech Republic in Leipzig on Tuesday.
The match between Spain and Croatia is highly anticipated, with fans eager to see if it will be the first blockbuster clash of Euro 2024.
