Spain take on England in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final, but there is huge interest away from the continent. Players with African heritage such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Bukayo Saka have lit up the tournament.
No matter who is crowned European champions on Sunday, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have proved they are the real deal.
The Spain wingers have struck fear into the hearts of any unfortunate defender who’s been tasked with containing them at Euro 2024. But their success has also shone a light on the African diaspora in Europe.
Nico Willams was born in Pamplona to Ghanaian parents who made the grueling Sahara crossing for a new life in Spain. Nico stars with his older brother Inaki for Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, where together they helped break Bilbao’s trophy drought by winning the Copa del Rey last season. Inaki represents Ghana, and impressed for the Black Stars at the 2022 World Cup.
Yamal’s parents hail from Equatorial Guinea and Morocco. It’s hard to believe that the braces-wearing phenomenon is just about to turn 17. The Barcelona man is already the youngest ever player to feature at the Euros, and capped it off by becoming the youngest ever scorer, with his wonder strike sinking France in the semi-final.
Spanish wizards
Of course, Spain’s game is about much more than Yamal and Williams, but their presence on the pitch has been electrifying. And fans have responded, as evidenced by the ubiquitous Lamine Yamal 19 and Williams Jnr 17 replica shirts at Spain games.
Before the group-stage match against Italy in Gelsenkirchen, Spain supporters told DW that the two youngsters could take on Europe’s best.
“Yamal is a very young player with a brilliant future,” gushed a Spanish fan.
“Nico Williams is an elite baller, best winger in the world,” said another Spain supporter, who had traveled from Canada to attend the match.
The pair have taken it in turns to dismantle opponents. Against Italy, Nico Williams won Man of the Match and every time he touched the ball, fans in Gelsenkirchen held their breath, while Italy’s defense chased shadows.
Williams impressed again and scored in the Round of 16 against Georgia, his sheer power, speed and finesse leaving Georgian defenders in his wake.
But perhaps the most memorable moment was 16-year-old Yamal’s performance in the semi-final against France. He answered France midfielder Adrien Rabiot’s pre-match comments about having to “show more” with a Goal of the Tournament contender. He also leads the Euros in assists.
Pictures showing Yamal’s baptism in the presence of the great Lionel Messi in 2007 are all the more fitting, because while Yamal lights up the Euros, Argentina’s Messi stands in the final of the Copa America in probably his last international game. Fate may have played a role and it feels like a passing of the baton.
Jacob “Ghost” Mulee, former coach of Kenya’s national team, the Harambee Stars, told DW that African interest in the tournament is sky high. “Right now with Euro 2024 going on in Germany, there is a very big interest. Most radio stations are streaming it live. Everybody is glued to the TV during the Euros,” he said.
England have unfinished business
While young guns have fired Spain into the final, England’s journey has been far less ceremonious. Yet they are here for the second time in succession, with the Three Lions eager to avenge their penalty shootout loss to Italy in 2021, and none more so than Bukayo Saka.
The Arsenal forward missed a penalty in that 2021 final shootout but has been instrumental in England’s ungainly march to this year’s final, scoring the crucial equalizer and then slotting home a spotkick in the shootout win over Switzerland.
Saka’s parents hail from Nigeria, and Nigerian sports reporter Ololade Adewuyi says his country’s fascination with England and English clubs has a lot to do with players like Saka.
“You look at the biggest Premier League teams in Nigeria – Chelsea and Manchester United and Arsenal. All have had Nigerians play for them,” he told DW.
England squad player Eberechi Eze also has Nigerian heritage and central defender Marc Guehi was born in Ivory Coast. Fellow defender Ezri Konsa has Angolan and Congolese roots, while Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, a revelation this season, traces his roots to Ghana.
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Mulee said: “It’s a good thing because what you are looking at today in most of the countries is a mixture of players from different nationalities. The implication is that they can also become stars not only for their clubs, but also for other national teams in Europe.”
This all comes against the backdrop of politics shifting to right-wing populism in some European countries, with parties routinely putting anti-immigration policies top of their agenda. The presence and success of players with migration backgrounds at the Euros has forced uncomfortable discussions around racism and xenophobia into the open.
“You also look at the impact of those communities. They’re so small compared to the greater population, but their impact in sport is so important,” Adewuyi pointed out.
Or as Mulee put it: “The African person playing football, it’s like a dance. It’s like they’re on stage. There is something extra they bring into the game. I mean, you look at JJ Okocha, Kylian Mbappe, you look at even Bukayo Saka. So when you remove that, it becomes flat football.”
Edited by Mark Meadows