Bayern Munich made an attempt to sign Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal before his breakout in La Liga when he was just 14 years old.
According to Sky Germany, Bayern had identified Yamal as a ‘top’ target at the time, with former club officials Hasan Salihamidzic and Marco Neppe eager to bring him to the Allianz Arena, seeing his potential to become a Ballon d’Or contender.
However, Yamal chose to stay with Barcelona.
Currently, at 16, Yamal is impressing for Spain at Euro 2024. He has started both games against Italy and Croatia and has even been spotted completing his homework in the dressing room.
Last season, he scored five goals and provided eight assists in 37 appearances for Barcelona in La Liga.
Spain’s coach, Luis de la Fuente, has openly expressed his admiration for Yamal following the youngster’s strong performances for the national team.
“We have the ability to continue to impose our style. We played very well with a high press, which allowed us to get the ball back. But one of the characteristics of Spain is our ability to change approaches and that variety is our strength,” he said.
“We have different qualities, different tactical approaches, and that’s an extra difficulty for opponents. If you have players with the speed of Lamine [Yamal] or Nico [Williams] or Ferran [Torres], that gives you something else. And the players know that. I have always tried to communicate that.”
Following a 3-0 triumph over Croatia and a 1-0 win against Italy, Yamal and his teammates now lead Group B. With their top spot secured, they are set to face Albania on Monday (June 24) and will likely rest players for that match.