Current:Home > reviewsEuro 2024: Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham among players to watch in Spain vs. England final -TradeWise
Euro 2024: Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham among players to watch in Spain vs. England final
View
Date:2025-04-17 03:55:17
Some of world soccer's greatest talents will take center stage in Berlin on Sunday for the Euro 2024 final between Spain and England.
Spain's Lamine Yamal – who turns 17 a day before the final – has set the world on fire in this tournament with a goal and three assists as his team has won all six games en route to the final. Nico Williams and Rodri are two of Spain's other top players to keep an eye on, hoping to win the tournament for the fourth time, which would break a tie with Germany for most Euro titles.
England, which finished runner-up in 2020, will need strong performances Jude Bellingham, all-time leading scorer Harry Kane and 19-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo to win the European championship for the first time in history.
Here's a look at the players to watch:
Spain
Lamine Yamal
Already the youngest player in Euro history – turning 17 the day before the final – Lamine Yamal became the tournament's youngest-ever goalscorer with a stunning strike in Spain's semifinal win over France. A Barcelona academy product who was kinda-sorta baptized as an infant by Lionel Messi, Yamal also has three assists at the tournament and won Man of the Match last time out. The wunderkind could have a favorable matchup against Luke Shaw or Kieran Trippier on the left side of England's defense in the final.
Nico Williams
While Yamal has (rightfully) received plaudits for his work on the right flank in this tournament, Williams has been running wild on the other side. Another pre-final birthday boy, Williams turned 22 on Friday and is going to give England defender Kyle Walker all he can handle on Sunday. Rumored to be nearing a move to Barcelona from Athletic Bilbao, Williams' blistering pace spreads the field in a way that we haven't seen from Spain teams in the past 20 years.
Rodri
Undoubtedly the best defensive midfielder in the world right now, the 28-year-old has led Manchester City to four consecutive Premier League titles and is hoping to add a European championship to his mantel. He'll be tasked with disrupting England's attack, namely keeping tabs on club teammate Phil Foden – who looked likely to score in the semifinal win over the Netherlands.
England
Jude Bellingham
The 21-year-old Real Madrid star provided a moment of magic with a bicycle kick goal to force extra time in England's eventual Round of 16 win, and is shouldering tremendous expectations heading into the final against a Spain team filled with players familiar to Bellingham. He perhaps hasn't been at his absolute best in Euro 2024 after a long debut season in Spain, but all it takes is a split-second for the Ballon d'Or candidate to make his mark.
Harry Kane
England's all-time leading scorer has three goals in this tournament but has drawn criticism for looking out of place in the team's struggling attack at Euro 2024. The 30-year-old Kane has been dropping deeper into more of a facilitatory role – which he's more than capable of playing – meaning he's not getting the touches he needs in scoring areas. He was subbed off late in England's quarter and semifinal wins, but manager Gareth Southgate may be tempted to replace him with fresh legs even earlier in Sunday's final.
Kobbie Mainoo
Less than four months after making his senior international debut, the 19-year-old stepped into a starting role for England in the knockout stage and has been a revelation in the midfield, looking like a seasoned veteran. Mainoo has paired well with Declan Rice, filling the midfield hole that saw Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Callagher start in the group games. How the Manchester United product holds up against Dani Olmo and Rodri in Spain's midfield may decide the final.
veryGood! (46)
Related
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
Ranking
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
Recommendation
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Bodycam footage shows high
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West