Did we just witness the start of the age of Lamine Yamal?

Perhaps we did. Yamal, the Barcelona teenager swaggered into sports history Monday night in Munich with a stunning 25-yard strike that put Spain into the final of Euro 2024. The 16-year-old became the youngest goalscorer in the history of this tournament leaving one wondering whether it’s the start of a career that may well be the highlight of the next two decades in international football.

There was Pele, there was Maradona and there are Messi and Ronaldo. Then there will be Yamal!

Yamal’s rise as an international star has been meteoric and Monday night’s thunderbolt which was the turning point of Spain’s semi-final against France truly signals the start of something really exceptional.

So, who is Lamine Yamal?

For those who don’t follow international football, Yamal is a supremely gifted young footballer who will turn 17 on Saturday, a day before Spain takes on the winner of the England-Netherlands semi-final (to be played on Wednesday night), in the title match of Euro 24. His father is Moroccan while his mother is from Equatorial Guinea. He made his bones at La Masia, Barcelona’s youth academy and quickly grew his wings and is now an integral Barca player. He is the youngest to play for Spain and will be the player to watch out for in Sunday’s final.

Was it always in his stars?

You see the photo of a young Lionel Messi cradling baby Yamal in back 2007 for a charity shoot and you might ask yourself this question. It seems Yamal was destined for greatness. Otherwise why on earth will he get into that shoot and get Messi, already a world and Barcelona legend, as his partner.

Can he emulate the likes of Pele, Maradona and Messi?

Early signs definitely indicate that. The Catalonian’s wondergoal in Munich wasn’t Yamal’s first act of genius. He has been making headlines as a young star with Barcelona and is bound to get better and better. He has already become Spain’s darling and now has a chance to become a legend at the age of 17 if he wins them the coveted Euro crown on Sunday.

What are they saying about him

It’s not just the tens of millions of fans who are gushing over Yamal’s goal. Top football stars have also joined the chorus of praise. His strike is being compared with the most talked about goals of all time

"A superstar is born," former England striker Gary Lineker told BBC One. "It was the moment of the match, possibly the moment of the tournament."

"Just incredible," commented ex-England striker Alan Shearer. "We've been talking about him all tournament and saying what a ridiculously young age it is.

"To do that, it's just outrageous."

"We saw a touch of genius," Spain boss Luis de la Fuente said of Yamal's goal.

"We all need to take care of him. I would like him to work with the same humility and keep his feet on the ground, to keep learning,” he added.

Will Yamal go on to join the list of young prodigies who made it big?

Wolfgang Mozart is one of the greatest prodigies in history. He was playing songs on the harpsichord at four years old and composing simple music at five. There have been many sporting Mozarts that include the likes of Tiger Woods, the Williams sisters, Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky. In Pakistan we have squash icons Jahangir and Jansher Khan, Javed Miandad and Shahid Afridi. In India we had Sachin Tendulkar and the list goes on. Yamal could be the latest addition to this glorious list as he has all the ingredients to become a true sporting legend.