Ben Pawlowski
HE may be one of the standout stars of Euro 2024, but Lamine Yamal’s prodigious footballing talent can’t excuse him from the rigour and pressure of school exams.
Thankfully for the 16-year old, who became the youngest ever player at a European Championship after starring against Croatia in the group stages earlier this month, he passed his fourth ESO exam – the equivalent of GCSEs – whilst in Germany with the Spain squad.
The Barcelona-born starlet had taken to revision classes in between training sessions and matches in order to prepare for the tests, and it seems the hard work paid off after it was revealed that Yamal passed the assessments with flying colours.
The precociously gifted winger, who made his professional debut for Barcelona aged just 15, received the news at Spain’s training camp in southern Germany ahead of Sunday’s Round of 16.
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He told the Spanish radio station Onda Cero: “I just came out of training and I have been told it all went well. I passed the exams and I have the ESO qualification now”.
He added: “If I’m honest, I saw them on my phone and it said I had passed so I just closed the app, called my mum and told her”.
Yamal has played a crucial role for a Spain side who romped through their group – heralded before the tournament as a ‘Group of Death’ – with a 100% winning record and zero goals conceded.
Headlining a new ‘Golden Generation’ of Spanish stars, Yamal has already earned 10 caps for his country, scoring two goals and providing five assists, one of which came in Spain’s 3-0 group opener triumph against Croatia.
