Euro 2024 quarter-finals kick off with the battle of the wonderkids Jamal Musiala, 21, and Lamine Yamal, 16, as Spain vs Germany sees teenager who brought his homework go up against England's one who got away

One of them is still successful boarding schoolhouse and took his homework to nan Euros, while nan different only moved retired of his mum’s location recently.

Lamine Yamal, 16, and Jamal Musiala, 21, person a mixed property which is little than that of their eldest nationalist team-mates — Manuel Neuer and Jesus Navas are some 38 — yet they clasp nan cardinal to Spain and Germany’s respective chances of winning nan tournament.

In Friday's quarter-final, which is being dubbed ‘the existent Euros final’ by galore successful Germany, nan brace will spell head-to-head successful nan biggest crippled of their nascent careers.

While this is Musiala’s 3rd awesome tournament, Yamal is astatine his first — having go Spain’s youngest-ever subordinate past twelvemonth aged 15. Team-mates of some stars opportunity they are successful nan beingness of thing typical erstwhile it comes to method ability.

After a clip of Musiala dribbling astatine an unfastened Germany training convention went viral successful March, Toni Kroos — having conscionable announced his world comeback — was asked astir nan youngster’s skills.

‘Even if I had ne'er seen him (Musiala) before, that training convention would person been capable for me,’ Kroos admitted. ‘These exceptional players are meant to bring nosy to nan game. We person to put them successful positions successful which they tin bring joy.’

In Spanish quarters, akin things are said of Yamal, who joined Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy aged seven.

‘There are flashes of Messi,’ said Xavi, who gave him his Barcelona debut successful April past year. Messi himself has commented connected ‘how easy’ Yamal makes it look pinch nan shot astatine his feet. One of nan astir joyous sights of nan tourney truthful acold was Yamal and Nico Williams, 21, celebrating a extremity against Georgia pinch a dance, and past playing rock, paper, scissors to find who could portion h2o first.

‘Their younker and innocence are contagious for america — that joyousness they springiness out,’ said Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

Though Yamal is yet to people (he does person 2 assists) astatine nan Euros, Musiala lit up nan tourney connected nan opening nighttime against Scotland and is joint-top scorer pinch 3 goals successful 4 games for Germany.

Much has been made of really his emergence is bittersweet for England, who he could person represented, and for Chelsea, who sold him for a specified £170,000 to Bayern Munich successful 2019. His existent marketplace worth is estimated to beryllium much than £100million.

Yamal, meanwhile, has a merchandise clause successful excess of €1billion, and he and chap winger Williams are credited pinch having had a transformative power connected nan Spain side.

‘They person changed nan tiki-taka style that we had for truthful long. It seemed for illustration that was nan only measurement Spain could play but they person changed that perception,’ says Eduardo Castelao, editor successful main astatine El Mundo. ‘It’s a activity of caller aerial aft a agelong time.’

Insiders astatine nan Spain campy talk astir really Yamal doesn’t dainty shot games arsenic high-pressure occasions, but ‘like he is playing successful nan schoolhouse gait pinch his friends’.

In that, location is simply a striking similarity pinch nan measurement Wayne Rooney dazzled astatine Euro 2004 arsenic an 18-year-old and texted his mates that he had ‘nutmegged Zizou’ aft England’s crippled against France.

For Yamal, who is already nan youngest-ever subordinate astatine nan Euros, Friday nighttime would beryllium rather nan clip to go nan youngest-ever goalscorer.

Then nan world would spot his ceremony successful which, pinch his fingers, he forms nan number 304 — nan postcode for Rocafonda, nan neighbourhood successful which he was raised. It is 1 of nan astir deprived areas successful Spain.

When visitors get astatine Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, they are greeted pinch signs successful German that say: ‘The hometown of Jamal Musiala’.

Musiala described that opening nighttime successful Munich against Scotland arsenic ‘the lucifer of my life’. A capacity and triumph successful his hometown would apical that but moreover he admits that Yamal’s travel is thing else. ‘To beryllium astatine this level astatine 16 is crazy,’ said Musiala of nan Spaniard.

Already, location is simply a banner for Yamal astatine Barcelona location games that states ‘El futuro nary espera’, which intends ‘The early won’t wait’. With Yamal connected nan correct flank for Spain and Musiala down nan near for Germany, Friday nighttime promises to springiness america a breathtaking position of that future.