Spain and England will square off in what is expected to be an intense game at the Olympiastadion Berlin, Germany, in the final of the 2024 European Championship on Monday. Despite the game being high-profile in its own right, the football world is anticipating a show from two stars in the making.

While there are many big stars in the ranks of both nations, the attention of fans will be on two teenagers: Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal and Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who have been making  waves since they burst onto the scene with their clubs last season.

Eight months ago, 19-year-old Mainoo was still a regular for Man United U-18 team and only made his full Premier League debut for the Red Devils last November. However, he immediately established himself as an integral part of Erik ten Hag’s squad during the 2023/24 campaign.

Mainoo’s confidence in receiving the ball and retaining possession while under pressure, combined with his ability to distribute passes to teammates around the pitch, quickly caught the attention of football fans who have likened his playing style to football greats such as Zinedine Zidane and Clarence Seedorf.

During the campaign, Mainoo went on to play 32 times for United, scoring five goals, including the winner against Manchester City as the Red Devils defeated their local rivals 2-1 at Wembley Stadium to win the 2024 Emirates FA Cup.

The player’s impressive performance earned him his first England national team call-up for the March international break. He eventually made the Three Lions’ 26-man squad for Euro 2024 and subsequently made his competitive debut after coming on in the 86th minute during England’s 1-0 win over Serbia.

Mainoo has started all of England’s matches in the knockout phase and before the semifinal match against The Netherlands, the player had only misplaced five of his 130 passes throughout the Euro 2024, which amounted to 96 per cent pass accuracy, the highest by a midfielder at the tournament since 1980.

He would hope to extend it to a fourth consecutive start on a bigger stage on Sunday. 

As Mainoo was making waves in England, Barcelona academy graduate Yamal, who just turned 17 on the eve of the final, was also blowing away fans with impressive use of his left foot and incredible dribbling skills, likened to the club’s legend Lionel Messi.

Many Barcelona fans believe Yamal to be Messi’s “incarnate” or at least the closest player with similar football attributes to the World Cup winner they have witnessed, a point of view further strengthened following the emergence of 2007 photos of Messi bathing a six-month-old Yamal.

And the schoolboy has since been living up to the hype. During the 2023/24 season, Yamal scored seven goals — some of which are Messi-esque — and provided seven assists in his first season as a first-team regular for Barcelona.

Unlike Mainoo, it was obvious that Yamal was going to be part of Spain’s Euros squad as he had already made seven appearances in friendly matches and Euro qualifiers for La Roja before the tournament, scoring two goals alongside three assists.

Yamal has featured in all of Spain’s six Euros matches (only one from the bench) in Germany so far and has provided three assists and scored one goal — a stunning curler from yards out as Spain beat France 2-1 to reach the final of this year’s tournament.

One thing is certain, the two youngsters will live up to expectations if given a chance to help their country lift the European Championship title on Sunday and only time will tell which of them will return back to their homeland happy at the end of the game. 

Coincidentally, both Mainoo and Yamal are reportedly the frontrunners for the 2024 Golden Boy Award, which is given to the best player under 21 years old that plays in any of the European top-tier leagues. Either may still sway the honour in their favour with the outcome of Sunday’s game.