Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has explained why teenage sensation Lamine Yamal was banned from venturing out in public with the Euro 2024-winning squad.
The 17-year-old took the world by storm at this summer's European Championships. He created three assists and scored a stunning goal against France - later named goal of the tournament by UEFA - to help them reach the final where they beat England 2-1.
Prior to the final being played in Berlin, Yamal was still only 16 and, despite his tender age, he started every game in the tournament as De la Fuente placed huge faith in the generational talent.
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But away from the football pitch, Yamal had to be treated like any other child under the age of 18. While his team-mates enjoyed nights out in Germany, he was forced to stay in the team hotel under supervision because he wasn't old enough, according to his manager.
"When the players went out to eat, he couldn’t because he was underage. Someone with responsibility [within the Spain setup] would stay at the hotel, looking after him," De la Fuente told The Guardian.
"There are parental authorisations but, more so, a responsibility to society. The federation’s institutional responsibility goes beyond rights, legal requirements, authorisation, parental consents. So there are some inconveniences to being young – although we would all love to take a few years off.”
Yamal is rated as Spain's biggest talent in years after emerging from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy. He made his debut at the age of 15 in April 2023 and went on to become a regular under Xavi Hernandez last season, scoring seven goals in 50 appearances.
He already has 14 caps to his name and became La Roja's youngest-ever goalscorer when he scored on his debut in a 7-1 thrashing of Georgia in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
De la Fuente marvelled about the starlet's ability and indirectly compared his rise to that of another Barca legend, Lionel Messi, suggesting he had been blessed with a rare natural ability.
"My formation was at clubs with a culture of bringing players through: Athletic and Sevilla. When you see talent, play them, even if they’re young. But Lamine is very good," De la Fuente added.
He elaborated on his praise, saying: "It’s true what I said: that he’s touched by God’s wand. There are players that are different.
"I don’t want to get into those comparisons, because I know we’re going to start [that], and they’re different footballers, different eras. But the talent? There’s something that sets them apart.
"The super mega cracks, football geniuses, those who [made] history, all have something. At that young age they all seemed different, older.”
