During Spain’s Euro 2024 semi-final victory over France, Lamine Yamal seemingly conveyed a strong message to Adrien Rabiot at half time by making the French midfielder regret his pre-match remarks.
On Tuesday night, the 16-year-old forward levelled for Luis de la Fuente’s team with a stunning long-range shot, making history as the youngest scorer in the history of the European Championship.
Barcelona’s teenage sensation has had an incredible summer. At the age of 16 years and 338 days, he became the youngest player to feature at a European Championship when he took the pitch against Croatia.
However, Adrien Rabiot, a midfielder for France, had some harsh words to say about his team before Tuesday’s match at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Rabiot stated in his pre-game press conference, “Lamine Yamal will have to do much more against us than he has done so far if he wants to play in the Euro final with Spain.” “We’re going to exert pressure on him to make him uncomfortable.”
Lamal seemed to reply to Rabiot on Instagram with a statement of his own. He scrawled, “Move in silence,” on his tale. “Only speak when it is time to say checkmate.”
A few hours later, the teenager let his feet speak for him as Spain defeated France 2-1 to secure their spot in the Euro 2024 final.
In fact, the TV cameras raced over to a jubilant Yamal moments after the final whistle, and it seemed as though he was sending Rabiot another message as he celebrated the win. He beamingly said, “Speak now, speak now!”
Here are the reactions of supporters to Lamal’s post-match activities on social media.
One said: “Before Spain vs France, Rabiot said Lamine Yamal needed to doore than he’s done now. After beating France, he said: ‘speak now, speak now’. This is cold.”
Another commented: “This has been the tournament of wonderkids showing they’ve got balls of steel and I am absolute here for it.”
A third wrote: “Rabiot said a 16 year old needed to step up. And he did. He stepped up when his country needed him at 16 years old. 16 years old. Did we say he was 16? 16.”
A fourth added: “Lamal is my player of the tournament.”
Image credit: X/@FabrizioRomano
Ahead of their tournament opener, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente stressed that Yamal must be protected from criticism.
“In the case of young players, the psychological factor is more important than the tactical one,” he said.
“In the case of Lamine, he is a player who is touched by a magic wand, and we have to support him, because he will be praised and criticized fiercely.”
The young player has undoubtedly been a star performer at Euro 2024, and Fernando Llorente, a former Spain international, thinks he has the potential to surpass none other than Lionel Messi.
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, he said: “Not even Messi was at this level at that age. Lamine Yamal does extraordinary things. He can’t be compared to anyone.”