It was always going to be Lamine Yamal’s face on the Spanish newspapers’ back pages after Spain’s 2-1 semi-final win against France at Euro 2024.
With that stunning left-footed curling effort, a goal that will live long in the memory as Yamal’s ‘Where were you when…’ moment, he became the youngest goalscorer in European Championship finals history, announcing himself to the world to level the scores at 1-1. But Tuesday night’s winning goal, one arguably as individually brilliant, was scored by his team-mate Dani Olmo four minutes later.
Unlike Yamal, who has bulldozed through an inevitable express pathway to stardom since his first start for Barcelona last August, 39 days after his 16th birthday, fellow Barca academy graduate Olmo’s path to the big time has been more winding and unprecedented.
Born in the Catalan city of Terrassa, around 17 miles (27km) north-west of Barcelona, he was also developed at Barca’s La Masia academy. But in summer 2014, having just turned 16, he left for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, with designs of breaking into first-team football quickly. While leaving Barcelona for a club elsewhere in Spain, or another among Europe’s elite, is not uncommon, departing as a promising talent and age-group captain for the Croatian league is almost unheard of.
A decade later, a return to one of Europe’s elite clubs could now be on the cards for Olmo.
After four impressive seasons in the German Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, Olmo has enlisted a PR company to boost his international profile. As it turns out, leading the Golden Boot race at the European Championship with one match to go on three goals and two assists, helping your team reach Sunday’s final, was all the promotion he needed.
With a €60million (£50.5m, $65.2m) release clause, the 26-year-old forward is available at a reasonable price, too.
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Olmo expects to leave Leipzig this summer after reaching a gentleman’s agreement with them last year. It had been widely reported that his release clause expires on July 15, the day after the final against England in Berlin, but The Athletic understands the expiry date is July 20. Olmo’s camp believes there should be no barriers to his exit if an interested club present a similar proposal after that date.
Olmo makes a lot of sense as a signing for many top clubs, not just because of his impressive quality but also his work ethic and versatility.
Despite his stuttered path to football’s top table over the past decade, Olmo would not look out of place in Spain’s all-conquering era between 2008 and 2012. In 21 league appearances for Leipzig last season, 17 of them starts (he had three spells out with knee, shoulder and muscle-strain injuries), he featured most prominently from the right wing but was also played on the left and as a central attacking midfielder.
For Spain, he has typically played as an industrious No 10 but impressed as a false nine in the semi-final defeat to Italy at the previous Euros three years ago and has also played out wide.
If there was a machine capable of merging the footballing qualities of Pedro and a young Cesc Fabregas — two of Vicente del Bosque’s most malleable and adaptable servants in Spain’s 2010 World Cup win and the successful defence of their European title in 2012 — the result would likely be something like Leipzig’s current No 7.
Olmo’s ability to advance the ball into attacking areas is shown by his average of 3.9 passes into the final third per 90 minutes last season, which places him in the 90th percentile (the top 10 per cent) among his positional peers in the top five leagues (Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, La Liga in Spain, Italy’s Serie A and Ligue 1 in France).
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He has the vision to execute these passes under pressure, giving team-mates the license to make runs that disorganise the opposition’s back line. In addition to his composure, Olmo excels in delivering through balls, with an average of 0.61 per 90 last season, which placed him in the 95th percentile for the top five leagues.
Crucially, his passes don’t just break lines: they create goalscoring opportunities, too.
Averaging 0.61 shot-creating actions (shots that lead to another shot attempt) per 90, which was in the 98th percentile, he can make opportunities through combining in short networks, line-splitting passes, and drawing fouls. His dribbling, particularly in one-on-one situations, is often dangerous. He excels at laterally shifting the ball to his right before accelerating past an opponent, using his agility and control to create space and opportunities. This makes Olmo a constant threat and makes him unpredictable.
Olmo’s movement and agility make him unpredictable for opponents (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
Defensively, Olmo is equally committed.
He averaged 2.37 successful tackles and interceptions per 90 last season, placing him in the top 20 per cent of similar players across the five leagues. This shows his work ethic, providing support to his team when out of possession. It is also par for the course for a player at Leipzig, where their pressing and intensity allow them to capitalise on transition opportunities, catching the opposition off-guard and creating high-quality scoring chances. It also helps maintain sustained pressure.
Olmo’s intelligence is apparent in his ability to find killer passes and his willingness to take on opponents. His confidence enables him to perform on the biggest stages, making him a sensible purchase for any team.
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For Barcelona, Olmo represents more than just a homecoming.
Barca have historically emphasised re-signing players who came through their academy and then developed as professionals elsewhere, notably Fabregas and Gerard Pique, who both established themselves in the Premier League, with Arsenal and Manchester United respectively, before returning to their boyhood club. There is no question Barcelona would like to be reunited with Olmo, who was considered a star at La Masia before going to Croatia, but the transfer fee it would require is a significant stumbling block for the cash-strapped Catalans.
Their sporting director, Deco, was spotted in the stands in Dusseldorf watching Spain beat Albania 1-0 a couple of weeks ago in their final Euro 2024 group game. It was the first match he had attended at the tournament and he saw Olmo make his first start this summer after coming off the bench against Croatia and being an unused substitute against Italy.
For Deco, Olmo’s versatility stands out. He can provide cover on either wing, play as one of the more attacking No 8s in the 4-3-3 system or even as a more mobile and direct replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who is now 35 and has shown signs of physical decline despite scoring 26 goals in 49 club appearances last season.
Deco, who made 161 appearances for Barcelona from 2004-08, also as an attacking midfielder, has already had a meeting with Olmo’s agent to evaluate options. This includes asking Leipzig to allow Barcelona to pay for his transfer in instalments after his clause expires.
Deco has met with Olmo’s representatives to discuss options (David Ramos/Getty Images)
Sources close to the player, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, say Barcelona’s interest is strong and that Olmo would be keen to go back given he spent seven years in the club’s academy. However, they point out that rejoining Barca is not something he is obsessed with and, with other clubs circling, they are not optimistic it will happen.
One of those circling clubs could be Manchester City, who held talks with the player’s camp themselves earlier in the year.
Olmo appears well-suited to Pep Guardiola’s system, too. However, four-in-a-row Premier League champions City are well-stacked in the wide positions with Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and the emerging Oscar Bobb. They also have strong coverage in central midfield, with Kevin De Bruyne expected to stay for next season.
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City are also prioritising a move for a deeper-lying midfielder to alleviate the pressure on Rodri. While signing Olmo cannot be ruled out due to their interest, there are obstacles, too.
Bayern Munich are in a similar position to City regarding their stance on Olmo, as they have a few players they would need to move on before expressing serious interest in a raid on Bundesliga rivals Leipzig, including Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry.
Olmo might have been a perfect fit for Liverpool under their previous manager, Jurgen Klopp. His intensity and ability to create from deeper positions and stretch the opposition’s defence by running beyond their lines made him an ideal fit for Klopp’s brand of football.
The most intriguing position for Olmo would have been as a No 8 in Klopp’s system, with his pace and third-man running almost curated for a style featuring a creative No 9 in the profile of Roberto Firmino, who left Anfield last summer. While successor Arne Slot’s footballing ideas are not identical to Klopp’s, the Dutchman also appreciates an aggressive high press and often used a 4-2-3-1 formation (with a 3-4-2-1 attacking structure) at previous club Feyenoord — an ideal system for Olmo to affect the game, with and without the ball, as a No 10.
Tactically, Olmo and Liverpool appear a good match, but there are several young(ish) creative players Slot in inheriting, including Harvey Elliott, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, Olmo’s former team-mate at Leipzig.
Olmo facing Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League (Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images)
Naturally, we have to mention Chelsea, who have already completed five signings this window. The west London club are likely not in a position to pay Olmo’s release clause up front, so if they were to move for him, they would have to structure a deal that would see them part with slightly more than the clause’s value to create a more favourable payment structure.
His fit under their new head coach, Enzo Maresca, is not in question, but Chelsea are looking for a left-winger and a striker this summer. While Olmo can play in these positions, he may not be considered a natural fit in either. Nico Williams, the 21-year-old who has starred for Spain and Athletic Bilbao from the left wing, is more the profile Chelsea are searching for at this stage. But Olmo would add more quality to an already deep roster of attacking talent.
With two days remaining until the biggest game of his life, Olmo has more pressing concerns than transfer talk.
If he impresses again in the final against England, he puts himself in an even stronger position to secure the defining move of his career, and there is confidence on his end that there is no pressing need to rush a deal over the line in the coming days.
Perhaps avoiding the rush to join a big club and taking his time is precisely what Olmo should do. It’s served him well so far.
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(Top photo: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)