The 16-year-old has been among the EC’s big bright spots. Although he is the youngest ever player in a men’s European Championship by a wide margin, no one has been behind more assists (3) than the young superstar. He is so good that he is already signed to both Barcelona and the Spanish national team. When the entire soccer world turns its eyes to Munich on Tuesday night to watch the semi-final between Spain and France, Yamal is expected to play a starring role. But are there only upsides to letting a 16-year-old play matches on the very biggest stage? LOOK AT HISTORY: That’s the advice from Mark O’Sullivan. Photo: Privat – All this makes me think of another teenage sensation from Barcelona, Bojan Krkic, Mark O’Sullivan tells news. He is an associate professor in football at the Department of Sport and Social Sciences at the Norwegian University of Sports and Science and has a Uefa A coaching course. – Overwhelming anxiety attacks O’Sullivan believes the story of Krkic, who was 18 when he made his debut for Spain, should be a story that those who manage Yamal’s playing time must keep in mind. – Just as Yamal is now, Bojan was hailed as the new Messi. He later opened up about how such high expectations led to overwhelming anxiety attacks, which no one wants to talk about in football. He still lives with the scars, says O’Sullivan. It was in a major interview with The Guardian a few years ago that Krkic opened up about a period filled with anxiety. He then claimed that an attempt was made to cover up the fact that he was struggling mentally. – It was said that I had inflammation in my stomach when I had anxiety attacks. Because nobody wanted to talk about it, Krkic said in 2018. He later chose to withdraw from European Championship games for Spain because of the anxiety. THE NEW MESSI: Bojan Krkic struggled with the label he received at a young age. The career never turned out what many had predicted. Photo: David Ramos / AP Yamal’s father does little to prevent his son from being labeled “The new Messi”. Last week he published a photo taken by photographer Joan Monfort 17 years ago, where Messi greets baby Yamal in connection with a charity event. In December 2007, photographer Joan Monfort took pictures of then 20-year-old Lionel Messi and infant Lamine Yamal for a charity calendar. Photo: AP The pictures of football legend Messi and shooting star Yamal have spread on social media during the European Championships. Many believe the photos confirm that Yamal was destined to become a football star. Here, the mother Sheila Ebana is also in the picture. Photo: AP Among other things, Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, has shared a photo from the photo shoot in 2007. Photo: AP Rodri to news: – Still a child When asked by news if there is anything that can be learned from the story of Krkic, Spain replies – and Manchester City star Rodri like this: – Not everyone has the personality and courage he has, at that age. Bojan and Lamine come from the same club. What I can say about Lamine is that he is very focused. He is still a child and has several things to improve. The most important thing for me is that he listens to those who want to help him, says Rodri. – Are there no adults who react? VG’s football commentator Trond Johannessen is among those who are excited about whether the use of Yamal is sustainable. In VG, Johannessen asks himself the following rhetorical question: – A child wreaks havoc. Are there no adults who react? Johannessen places particular emphasis on the risk of injury that occurs when young bodies are subjected to great physical strain, and points out that Yamal will complete 60 matches in 11 months if he plays in the semi-finals and a possible final. There are three comparable players who have had similar breakthroughs as Yamal, but with great sacrifices along the way. Both Ansu Fati, Pedri and Gavi have broken through at the age of 16 and 17, got a lot of playing time in a short time and encountered one injury after another. TOUGH TREATMENT: Even though he is the EC’s youngest, Lamine Yamal is put through the paces by his opponents. Photo: Leonhard Simon / Reuters – Yamal’s body is not fully developed. It is still growing, and the research is very clear that the risk of injury during growth periods is high. It takes energy to play football, and it takes energy for the body to grow, says O’Sullivan. – Psychological ticking bomb This is where his concern really comes into play. With extreme pressure on a young boy both physically and psychologically, O’Sullivan compares the situation to a candle burning at both ends. – This is potentially a ticking, psychological bomb, warns O’Sullivan. SPÅS’S GREAT FUTURE: But Lamine Yamal is already good. Photo: Heiko Becker / Reuters Sports psychologist Henrik Herrebrøden lectures on mental toughness and has a lot of experience from working with sports teams and individual athletes, including from football. Herrebrøden is not too worried about the pressure Yamal experiences at a young age. – I would be more concerned about what pressure this creates that could make it more difficult for him in the long run, he says to news. WARNING: Henrik Herrebrøden doesn’t think the superstar label does Yamal or anyone else any favors. Photo: Photographer Ingar Næss / StudioF2 – What do you put in it? – The media in particular are very happy to talk about the future. It is not enough for a 16-year-old to play well. Then you immediately start saying that “here Spain faces a bright future, here they have a player who can deliver for many, many years”. And we don’t know that. Yamal may have already played his best match for Spain, says Herrebrøden. He believes that the research is quite clear that performance today is no guarantee of performance in the future. Who will win the EC? Spain France England Netherlands Show result – A pitfall Herrebrøden sees two elements in particular which he describes as the biggest dangers of a 16-year-old being placed in the spotlight of the entire football world at such a young age. One is that he creates such huge expectations, both of himself, but also of the entire football world, which can go beyond his inner motivation. The second is that the previous success also creates challenges with external motivation. – Now he gets a lot of attention and recognition. It gives almost a kind of intoxication, being in the spotlight in such a positive way as what he is experiencing now, he says. – Then you start thinking about other so-called child stars, both in football and elsewhere. There are examples of movie stars who made it big at a very young age, and who we all know are not doing very well today, who have replaced the drug they got then with another drug now. It is a pitfall, says Herrebrøden. A LOT TO CELEBRATE FOR: Lamine Yamal has been the European Championship’s best waiter so far and has already recorded three assists. Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP – Would not like that label He is also aware that it hardly helps the 16-year-old that he is already labeled as a superstar. – If I were Yamal’s parents, or even the agent, I would not like that label. Because that often comes with some challenges. It will be a bit like hearing that you are very talented or intelligent. Carol Dweck’s research clearly shows that this can actually cause these talents to develop more poorly, says Herrebrøden. HELD THE RECORD: Kacper Kozlowski. Photo: JANEK SKARZYNSKI / AFP When we look at the use of Yamal, Mark O’Sullivan reminds us of a player called Kacper Kozlowski. Does it ring no bells? Kozlowski was the player who previously held the record as the youngest EC player of all time, which he got when he played the championship for Poland as a 17-year-old. – Now he is 21 years old and has not played for Poland since 2021, O’Sullivan points out. Youngest players in EC history (men) 1. Lamine Yamal (Spain) – 16 years, 338 days, EC2024 2. Kacper Kozlowski (Poland) – 17 years and 246 days, EC2020 3. Jude Bellingham (England) – 17 years and 349 days, EC2020 4. Jetro Willems (Netherlands) – 18 years, 71 days, EC 2012 5. Enzo Scifo (Belgium) – 18 years, 115 days, EC1984 Rabiot to news: – He copes well with pressure France’s midfielder Adrien Rabiot will face Yamal in the semi-finals. The former PSG and Juventus star, who is now without a club, tells news that he has been impressed by the 16-year-old’s mental skills so far. – We have seen that there is a player who copes with pressure very well. He has a lot of qualities and is capable of playing for a big club, but also in a big tournament like this. We know he can keep a cool head, but it will obviously be difficult to cope with the pressure in the semi-finals of a major tournament, says Rabiot to news. Without going into detail, he promises that France has a plan to stop Yamal in Tuesday’s semi-final. – It is up to us to put pressure on him and get him out of his comfort zone. If you want to play in a final in the EC, you have to do even more than he has done so far, says Rabiot to news – and thus sends a small jab in the Spain star’s direction. Published 09/07/2024, at 11.56 Updated 09.07.2024, at 12.12
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– A ticking, psychological bomb – Football European Championship 2024
