‘Lamine Yamal has matured a lot since the Euros. He’s probably the best in the world at the minute, but he can’t do it on his own’ Mikel Merino on his game-changing Spain team-mate

Lamine Yamal for Spain.

When Spain began their Euro 2024 tilt, few had them tagged as the eventual winners, as the likes of France, England and hosts Germany were ahead of them in the bookies’ odds.

But after a strong group stage, in which Croatia, Italy and Albania were all swept aside without a goal being conceded, expectations were reset.