I ruined Harry Kane’s best chance to win a trophy yet, now I’m looking to do it again in the Euro 2024 final
DANI OLMO bagged a hat-trick to deny Harry Kane a trophy on his Bayern Munich debut — and is out to repeat the trick in Berlin.
Kane was parachuted straight into the German Supercup the day after he signed for Bayern, but Olmo’s heroics for RB Leipzig meant there was no dream start to a season which astonishingly ended without silverware.
The Spain midfielder has the chance to continue Kane’s trophy curse in Sunday’s final and beat him to the Golden Boot.
His aim now is to end the campaign exactly how he started it.
Asked whether the idea was to bag another hat-trick to deny England skipper Kane the title, 26-year-old Olmo said: “A lot!
“It would be a dream to score a hat-trick in the final — and win it, of course. I would be happy if I could help the team with a goal but the main objective is to win.”
There are plenty of positive memories at Berlin’s Olympiastadion for Kane’s nemesis, too, coming off the bench against Hertha Berlin two years ago with a goal and assist in a 6-1 win for Leipzig.
Now, as Spain head there for the final, striker Kane, 30, and Olmo both sit on three tournament goals.
If neither of them score in Berlin the award will be split between six players . . . a stud each?
Olmo added: “I felt very good at the Euros, Harry Kane and I are tied, but if Fabian Ruiz scores — who has two — and even Alvaro Morata scores a hat-trick, then we are there.
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“We would be just as happy whoever does it.”
It was not in the plan for the Spanish playmaker to have such an impact at this Euros.
Meet Spain's Euro 2024 Wags
Spain Wags range from teenager sweethearts to recently blossoming love stories.
Alice Campello (Alvaro Morata’s wife)
Alice Campello is an Italian model and fashion designer and has been married to Alvaro Morata since 2017. The pair has four children together.
Sara Botello (Aymeric Laporte’s wife)
Sara Botello is a trained dancer, having performed ballet and contemporary dance in shows around Spain. She married Aymeric Laporte in 2023 and the pair have two children together.
Tatiana Trouboul (David Raya’s girlfriend)
Tatiana Trouboul is the girlfriend of David Raya. Before moving to London with him, she worked in a nightclub. Now she is working as a model.
Claudia Rodriguez (Marc Cucurella’s girlfriend)
Claudia and Marc met in Barcelona after he messaged her on Instagram. The pair has third children together and have been together since six years.
Lola Liberal ( Mikel Merino’s wife)
Lola Liberal is a blogger and loves to share loving moments with ex-Newcastle star Mikel Merino. The pair married in January 2024.
Laura Cascante (Rodrigo Hernández’s girlfriend)
Laura Iglesias is a medical student and is training to become a surgeon. The pair met during university.
Laura Abla Schmitt (Dani Olmo’s girlfriend)
Laura Abla Schmitt and Dani Olmo made their relationship public on New Year’s Day in 2024.
The man who won an Olympic silver medal at the last Games has started just two matches but has three goals — including a fabulous winner in the semi-final against France — and two assists.
Olmo started on the fringes of the squad but following injury to Barcelona’s Pedri in the quarter-final with the hosts, he was thrown on, scored and has not looked back.
In a Spain side which is very different from the dominant tiki-taka team of 2008-12, Olmo is perhaps the one who stands out most.
There are few occasions on which he opts for a short, cute pass — despite starting his career in Barca’s famed La Masia academy.
Olmo takes everything on the half-turn and loves to drive with the ball at his feet but also has the finesse of all the finest Spanish players — as evidenced by his wonderful goal against Les Bleus.
Olmo collected a tricky loose ball with one flick in the air, another to move past Aurelien Tchouameni and fired across goal to score via a Jules Kounde deflection.
It is not just on the pitch that the tricky midfielder is brave, either.
At just 16 years old, Olmo took the decision to do something very few young Spanish players do and leave his home country.
Opting to take an even more unique path, he joined Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia and went on to win nine trophies, including five league titles.
Throughout his time in Croatia, Olmo was progressing through the Spanish youth set-up, from the Under-16s up to the U-21s, with whom he won the European Championship under current La Roja boss Luis de la Fuente, scoring in both the semis and final.
A move to RB Leipzig in Germany followed in 2020, with another switch expected after this tournament — when he could become Kane’s team-mate.
You can say it hasn’t been pretty, but England are in the final… and we’re peaking at just the right time, says Jack Wilshere
AFTER what has been a tough tournament of times, what an opportunity Gareth Southgate and his team will have to end in the best possible way, writes Jack Wilshere.
We might like a team that played better football. But it’s a results business.
Germany, Italy, France, Portugal and of course Holland would love to be where we are.
People will say we’re lucky because we’re on this side of the draw.
But we won the group. France didn’t and then ran into Spain.
You can say it wasn’t that pretty, but we’re there.
Gareth and his coaches won’t have been happy with some of the performances.
But I did like the way Gareth and his team have dealt with it.
There was no panic coming out of the camp.
Everyone gave the same message: ‘We know we can better, but we’re here still.’
And on Sunday they will be in Berlin to play Spain.
They will probably have to produce two halves of football as good as the first against Holland to beat them.
We have improved as the tournament has gone on and that is how you win things.
You want to peak in the final.
If Gareth can lead England to that major trophy we’ve all been waiting for, it will be the perfect answer to the critics and a brilliant day for us all.
Read Jack Wilshere’s England vs Holland verdict in full.
Or check out all of SunSport columnist Jack’s Euros 2024 opinions…
Bayern Munich is his most likely destination after a £55million release clause in his contract was extended to next Saturday thanks to Spain reaching the final.
Manchester United and Manchester City have both monitored Olmo but Bavaria appears to be calling his name.
Asked about his future, the midfielder said: “I have too much to do with the Euros to be thinking about other things and, now with the final ahead, it is not something that I have on my mind.”
Victory tomorrow night could make for an awkward chat with Kane should the two join up for pre-season together with new boss Vincent Kompany’s Bayern.
But while Spain have been lauded for their fine football — and beaten all of Croatia, Italy, Germany and France to reach the final — Olmo is wary of the threat the Three Lions pose.
He added: “Like Morata in our national team, Jude Bellingham is also a reference point there.
“Football passes through his boots, both with him and with Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, who form that trident with Harry Kane up front.
“Bellingham is always there in the middle of the matter.
“They are players to be taken into account but we are not afraid of anyone.”
England football stars' tattoos
The England squad are known for their love of body art and a lot of them are covered in tattoos.
- Phil Foden: Find out about the Man City player’s neck ink.
- Kyle Walker: Discover the meaning behind the footy ace’s sentimental body art.
- Kieran Trippier: Find out why the Newcastle United star has a HUGE diamond on his chest.
- Ivan Toney: The reason why the England ace has a Joker tattoo.
Bonus ball: Get all the meanings behind former England star David Beckham’s tattoos.