In the build-up to Spain’s European Championship semi-final against France, all eyes were on Dani Olmo.
The versatile RB Leipzig attacking midfielder put in a starring performance against Germany in the quarter-final — scoring the opening goal and providing the winning assist for Mikel Merino. Olmo, 26, knew he would be starting as Spain’s No 10 after Pedri’s knee injury in that game.
To lighten the mood, a Spanish Federation employee tried to crack a joke with the usually understated Olmo during the week.
“Mate, you have to use all this momentum to promote yourself a little bit!”, they said.
“Do you think so?” he replied. “You might be right. But I don’t really know how to do this.”
The anecdote sums up Olmo — a shy character who bursts into life on the pitch and who has become one of the deadliest attacking midfielders at the tournament in Germany.
That much was clear from another outstanding performance in the semi-finals. Olmo scored Spain’s second of the night in the 25th minute — it would prove to be the winner — and is joint-top of the scoring charts with three goals, alongside Cody Gakpo, Georges Mikautadze, Jamal Musiala and Ivan Schranz. He has two assists on top of that, which would give him the Golden Boot at present.
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Olmo also became the first Spanish player to score in three consecutive knock-out games at a major tournament — and last night was the only one he started. As tough a blow as losing Pedri for the tournament was for Spain boss Luis de la Fuente, Spain don’t have a better back-up player in any other role.
“With Pedri, we probably have better passing in the final third and ball retention,” midfielder Rodri said before the France game.
“And with Dani, we might have more presence in the box. He reads the game between the lines and the spaces in there so well. We are lucky to have a team with such versatile profiles.”
The semi-final will rightly be remembered as the Lamine Yamal game, but Olmo’s move for the winner shouldn’t be overlooked. He controlled a ball that seemed out of reached, faked his way past midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and produced a deft touch that put him in the perfect spot to send the ball into the bottom corner of Mike Maignan’s net — via a Jules Kounde deflection.
Olmo scores the winning goal in the 25th minute (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
His father Miquel Olmo, a former semi-professional footballer and a second-division manager in Spain, was in the stands wearing an Olmo 10 shirt and enjoying his son’s performance. “He’s taught me how to read games,” Dani has said. “He would tell me I had to look more at what was happening in a game and how to improve.”
It seems clear this will be one of the biggest summers of Olmo’s life.
He expects to leave Leipzig by the end of this transfer window after reaching something close to a gentleman’s agreement with the Bundesliga club last summer. He has a €60million ($65m; £51m) release clause in his contract, which is set to expire on July 15, and will have no shortage of suitors given his adaptability across the front line.
Olmo signed his latest Leipzig extension last summer following what his camp call a show of respect to the club. Leipzig had just sold three key players in Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City, Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea and Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool, bringing in around €220m for them. But losing another highly rated player would have been a blow, so they asked Olmo to stay another year.
The friendly circumstances in which Olmo’s extension was agreed make the player’s camp think Leipzig won’t present too many problems if offers in the region of €60m arrive after July 15. All parties say it is difficult to see a full transfer negotiated and concluded before then, but Olmo expects his loyalty and respect towards Leipzig to be rewarded.
Olmo has been a key player for Leipzig (Jan Woitas/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Olmo took an unusual path to the top. Born in Terrassa, the birthplace of Barcelona and Spain legend Xavi in Catalonia, he was formed at Barca’s renowned La Masia academy. But, in 2014, he took the bold step of leaving to join Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia.
Barcelona were used to seeing their biggest talents leave for Premier League clubs or even Bundesliga sides who made attractive offers. But a big prospect such as Olmo leaving for Croatia had not been seen before or since.
“They offered me a very exciting project,” Olmo said, discussing that move last week. “They showed me the examples of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic — players that had made their way to the top from their academy.
“Dinamo were working the academy really well. The first team had been in the Champions League and the Europa League. It could be the perfect stepping stone and me and my family decided to go.”
In less than a year and a half, he was playing for the first team. In 2020, Leipzig paid €29m to sign him and offer him a platform to reach the European elite, but there was still something missing.
Last summer, Olmo’s camp enlisted the help of a PR company to help him do what he struggles with most: selling himself off the pitch. Sources close to the player — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — say he felt overlooked by playing in the Bundesliga, a competition which is not among the most followed in Spain, and suggest it had a negative impact on his status with the national team. His PR work is being overseen by the same company who do so for Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele and Lisandro Martinez.
Inserting the €60m release clause, with the idea of finding a new challenge sooner rather than later, was part of Olmo’s strategy.
Multiple reports have linked him with a return to Barcelona. But, as much as he is highly rated by their sporting director Deco, the club’s tricky financial situation and emphasis on other squad roles mean there is serious doubt as to whether they would sign him.
Bayern Munich and Liverpool are other clubs reportedly interested, although sources from both sides have kept themselves away from any deal being discussed.
According to sources close to negotiations, it is unlikely any move is finalised by the end of this week, when Olmo’s official clause will be close to running out.
But he showed against France how determined he is to establish himself as a world-class player.
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Perfection, by Lamine Yamal
(Top photo by Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
