Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente praised the performance of 16-year-old wonder-kid Lamine Yamal in their 2-1 semi-final victory over France in Munich on Tuesday, Soccernet.football reports.
Yamal restored parity for Spain in the first half with a stunning effort from outside the eighteen yard box after Randal Kolo Muani’s header had put France in front nine minutes into the tie.
The 16-year-old became the youngest player to score a goal at a major tournament, a record previously held by Brazil’s Pele against Wales at the 1958 World Cup.
“We all know who he is. We need to take care of him,” de la Fuente said.
“I want him to work with the same humility, keep his feet on the ground in order to keep improving, learning with the same kind of attitude and that professionalism, that maturity that he shows on the pitch.
“He looks like a much more experienced player to be honest but fundamentally I celebrate that he’s in our team, that he’s Spanish and that we count on him and I hope we can enjoy him for years to come.”
Spain’s victory also made them the first team to win six matches in a single edition of the Euros, reaching their first international final since 2012.
De la Fuente praised his side’s cohesion and quality in coming back from a goal down, commending Spain’s spirit of sacrifice.
“Our idea of football is based on our self-assurance. This is what we want to play, we want to play to our strengths,” the Spain head coach said.
“I know that we are able to play football, we’ve seen it throughout the tournament.
“Individually they are fantastic but they offer the collective benefits of their individual qualities, they always work for the common good, for the collective effort.
“They are very generous in their efforts and work rate. This is just one more sign that this is an insatiable team, that they want to keep improving with the spirit of sacrifice.”