It is little over eight months ago that Lamine Yamal officially announced his arrival on the international stage in spectacular, record-breaking fashion at Euro 2024.
With 21 minutes gone of Spain's semi-final against France at the Allianz Arena, the Barcelona teenager picked up the ball outside the penalty area before curling a stunning strike into the top corner of the net to level the scores at 1-1.
Yamal had already made his mark on the tournament after a series of nerveless performances alongside another exciting young Spanish attacking talent in Nico Williams, but this was the Barca winger's big moment and the birth of a new football superstar.
At the age of 16 years and 362 days, Yamal had written his name into the history books by becoming the youngest goalscorer in European Championship history.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Yamal after the match in Munich. “I try not to think too much about what's going on. I just want to enjoy myself and help the team.”
Spain would go on to beat the French 2-1 and then England by the same scoreline in the final to become European champions for a record fourth time having won all seven of their matches.
Yamal was unsurprisingly named as Young Player of the Tournament while his super strike against France won him the best goal award.
Breaking records has become the norm for Yamal, a product of Barca's La Masia academy, whose father was born in Morocco and mother in Equatorial Guinea.
He went into the Euros as Spain's youngest player and goalscorer having notched for La Roja against Georgia aged just 16 years and 57 days.
Yamal also set a La Liga record as youngest goalscorer – at 16 years and 87 days – after finding the back of the net for Barca against Grenada. He had already become the youngest player in La Liga history, and the youngest to start in the Uefa Champions League.
On Thursday, Yamal is back in action for his country as reigning champions Spain take on the Netherlands in Rotterdam in the Uefa Nations League quarter-final first leg.
Yamal goes into the game having enjoyed a man-of-the-match performance for Barcelona, who defeated Benfica 3-1 on the night – and 4-1 on aggregate – to reach the Champions League quarter-finals where they will next take on Borussia Dortmund.
He set up Raphinha's opening goal with what Yamal would later admit to being a shot on goal gone wrong, while a now trademark curling left-footed finish from the edge of the box made him the youngest player to both score and assist in a Champions League match, at 17 years and 241 days.
“His goal was spectacular,” said Brazilian teammate Raphinha. “It shows what Lamine is – he's a spectacular player with tremendous quality.”
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick added: “Lamine hadn't scored for a long time, six games and over a month, so he's happy because it was a very important goal for us, a brilliant effort. We are all happy for him because he is a great kid and a fantastic player.”
Five days later, Yamal would score the fourth and final goal in Barcelona's 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid that leaves the Catalonians top of the table, ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference having played a game less than their old rivals.
At the weekend, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente felt the need to defend Yamal over what he perceived as over-the-top criticism of the young attacker.
“What do I demand from Lamine? To keep enjoying football, to keep doing what he likes, to keep understanding football the way he does,” De la Fuente said in a press conference.
“What do I demand from the rest of you [media]? To understand that he is not a mature player yet. He still needs to grow. He can get really far, but it's you guys who criticise him and want to kill him.
“It's you, all of you now saying that he's a genius and an ace, and criticising him if he doesn't score two days in a row. It's unbelievable, but he needs to be ready for the criticism.”
De la Fuente has made it clear that Yamal – who he has described as being “touched by a divine spark” – will need protecting from the potential pitfalls of superstardom.
“I’ve seen many talented footballers lose their way,” the Spanish coach told Mundo Deportivo last October. “He mustn’t make the mistake of trying to progress faster than necessary, as it could hinder his development.
“We must manage not only how well he plays, but also the thousand other details that are truly important.”
There is a possibility that Yamal could end the summer with Champions League, La Liga and Nations League winner's medals added to his collection.
If that happens, he could end up breaking yet another record by becoming the youngest winner of the Ballon d'Or, an honour currently held by Brazil's Ronaldo who was 21 years and 96 days old when he won the award in 1997 while at Inter Milan.
As for Yamal himself, there seems little chance that he will ignore the advice of both De la Fuente and Flick about needing to keep his feet on the ground.
“I've been told this so many times that they don't repeat it any more,” he said on Monday. “It's something you should always keep in mind. It will only hurt you if you think you're the best at everything. You have to enjoy it and not think about the rest. That's the way.
“I want to enjoy myself and have a good time, play football, which is what I do best, and not think about these things.”
