One of the biggest stories of Euro 2024 is the Spanish phenomenon Lamine Yamal.
The Barcelona winger was seemingly destined to be a superstar soccer player, with instances like a random Lionel Messi photo shoot serving as proof. Yamal is so precocious, in fact, that he’s already cryptically posting about his “enemies” on Instagram as if he’s a seasoned veteran.
And Yamal is on Spain’s European Championship roster for good reason — he’s already so, so exceptional at soccer. We saw more evidence of this in his electric game-tying goal against France during Tuesday’s semifinal battle. It is legitimately unfathomable that someone this young is already this special at the highest level of soccer:
Yamal’s unbelievable success as a teenager got me thinking: What notable cultural and sports events are older than someone who soon might become one of the best soccer players in the world?
Here’s a shortlist I came up with. Yes, my intention was to make everyone feel extremely old.
