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- Adrien Rabiot played down Lamine Yamal’s impact on Euro 2024 ahead of semi-final
- Yamal hit back after the match after scoring a wonder goal in Spain’s victory
Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal delivered a two-word message to French midfielder Adrien Rabiot on Tuesday night after leading his team to the final of Euro 2024.
Yamal sparked Spain’s comeback after they fell behind in the eighth minute through Randal Kolo Muani. The 16-year-old winger curled in an unstoppable shot from 25 yards in the 21st minute.
Four minutes later Dani Olmo scored the winning goal, but there was no doubt who the man of the moment was.
In the run-up to the round of 16, Rabiot tried to downplay Yamal’s impact on Euro 2024, but Yamal hit back after the final whistle.
He walked straight to the cameras and repeated the two-word message: “speak now.”
Lamine Yamal delivered a two-word message to the cameras after Spain’s 2-1 win over France
His message appeared to be aimed at Adrien Rabiot (pictured) after the French midfielder downplayed Yamal’s impact on Euro 2024 ahead of the semi-finals
Yamal had earlier sparked Spain’s comeback by scoring an incredible equaliser to become the youngest goalscorer in European Championship history
When asked by the media to speak about Rabiot’s remarks, Yamal added: ‘Rabiot’s words? You don’t have to attach any importance to them.’
However, his first message to the cameras seemed to be a clear dig at the Frenchman.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Rabiot said: ‘We saw that he [Yamal] was a player who could handle pressure very well. He has many qualities. He can play with his qualities both at club level and in big tournaments, without pressure.
‘It’s always difficult to reach a semi-final in such a tournament, but it’s up to us to put pressure on him, make him feel uncomfortable and show him that to play in a European Championship final he has to do a lot more than he has done so far.’
Yamal responded by writing on Instagram: ‘Move in silence. Speak only when it’s time to say checkmate.’
The teenage sensation then had his say on the pitch and his goal will have been even sweeter after he turned Rabiot away before firing into the net from distance.
Yamal, who turns 17 on Saturday, had already provided three assists in Spain’s first five games, but this was his highlight of the tournament, making him the youngest goalscorer in European Championship history.
His goal is a contender for goal of the tournament and French captain Kylian Mbappé was left speechless, nodding in admiration.
After the match, BBC analyst Rio Ferdinand called on Rabiot to thank Yamal for the lesson he had taught him. He should not speak before a major match in the future.
It seems unlikely that he would have done so, but this time Rabiot’s words came back to him: Spain reached the final, but France were eliminated.
