Spain starlet Lamine Yamal professed that winning Euro 2024 with his country was the best birthday gift that he could have wished for following La Roja's 2-1 triumph over England in Sunday's final at the Olympiastadion.
The Barcelona protege - who only celebrated his 17th birthday on Saturday - was bestowed with the Best Young Player of the Tournament prize after helping Spain win a record-breaking fourth title in Europe's premier tournament.
Yamal was ineffective in the first half, having been kept in check by Luke Shaw - making his first start in nearly five months - but he had a telling impact just two minutes into the second period.
After smartly letting the ball run across his body, Yamal charged at the England backline before laying off Nico Williams, who did not even take a touch before firing a fierce first-time effort past Jordan Pickford.
England managed to level matters through Cole Palmer, but Spain managed to call upon a super substitute of their own, as Mikel Oyarzabal netted the strike that secured a historic title for La Roja.
Yamal: 'I don't know what Spain are made of'
Yamal was frustrated in his efforts to score on the evening - being denied by Jordan Pickford on a couple of occasions - but he still ends an exceptional tournament with one goal and four assists to his name.
Among the individual records that the 17-year-old has broken are the youngest man to play and score in the Euros, the first teenager to set up three goals at one Euros tournament and the youngest man to appear in a World Cup or Euros final.
Reflecting on a magical month in Germany, Yamal unsurprisingly hailed his Euros winners medal as the best gift he could have received while also talking up the mental fortitude of his teammates.
"I am very happy. This is a dream. I'm looking forward to returning to Spain and celebrating with all the fans. It's the best birthday present ever," the 17-year-old told reporters. "When England equalised, it was difficult. I don't know what this team is made of, but we always manage to get back up."
Spain's hopes of glory suffered a major hit just before half time, when midfield fulcrum Rodri gingerly left the field in pain, and the Manchester City man did not emerge for the second half in Berlin.
Rodri: 'Spain will not stop here'
Martin Zubimendi filled Rodri's shoes for the second period and did a competent job, before the latter was handed the Player of the Tournament prize after keeping the momentum going from another brilliant domestic campaign.
Speaking to ITV Sport at full time, Rodri still reserved special praise for his former Man City teammate Palmer, while insisting that there is no limit on what Spain can achieve in the coming years.
"I know these guys, Cole Palmer is a top player. He's going to be a huge star in the next years," Rodri said. "Imagine what we have next. We are so happy.
"We made history but it doesn't stop here. We have talent and we'll keep going. It's important to celebrate what we have done."
On the other side of the coin, England captain Harry Kane admitted that Sunday's defeat would hurt for a while, as the Three Lions became the first team to lose consecutive European Championship finals.
