From the moment the starting whistle blew, the EURO 2024 semi-final between Spain and France witnessed two special world records regarding age.
Spain sets record with uncle-niece duo
Going into this match, Lamine Yamal made history by becoming the youngest player to play in a World Cup or EURO semi-final. At 16 years and 362 days, Yamal surpassed the age record of the King of Football Pele in the 1958 World Cup semi-final against France (17 years and 244 days).
And Lamine Yamal marked that milestone with a superb long-range strike, sending the ball into a dangerous arc to equalise 1-1 for the Spanish team. This was Yamal’s third goal in 13 appearances for the national team, and his first at a major tournament. The goal helped Spain regain confidence before leading 2-1 thanks to Dani Olmo’s second.
Yamal’s masterpiece
With his recent goal, Lamine Yamal even made history as the youngest player to score in the history of EURO and World Cup. He surpassed a series of other names such as Pele (17 years 239 days), Manuel Rosas (18 years 93 days) and compatriot Gavi (18 years 110 days). Before that, although he had not scored, Lamine Yamal had left a huge mark with three assists in matches against Croatia, Georgia, and Germany.
Spain entered the match with a significant loss of personnel, including the suspension of right-back Dani Carvajal. That is why veteran Jesus Navas was able to start, and this player set a special record for the oldest player, not counting the goalkeeper, to play in a EURO/World Cup semi-final. Specifically, at 38 years and 231 days, Navas surpassed Fritz Walter and Gunnar Gren (both 37 years and 236 days), players who faced each other in the 1958 World Cup semi-final to set a special record for age.
Uncle and nephew pair Lamine Yamal and Jesus Navas
It’s just a pity that Navas – who is older than… Lamine Yamal’s father – marked that record with a sad memory: he made a mistake of not being caught offside when he let Mbappe escape and deliver an accurate cross for Kolo Muani to open the score in the 9th minute. But it must be admitted that being forced to let an old man like Navas mark an extremely fast player like Mbappe (he was even the fastest at EURO) was a big disadvantage for Spain.