Lamine Yamal: Why Missing Last Year’s Ballon d’Or Was a Blessing
Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal has shown surprising maturity over his runner-up finish for last year’s Ballon d’Or. The 18-year-old acknowledged he thought he would win but now believes losing to former teammate Ousmane Dembélé helped him grow and better appreciate football’s top individual honour. He said that at 17 he wasn’t ready to value the award fully and looks ahead to a shot at the title this year. After guiding Spain to European Championship glory and starring for Barcelona’s back-to-back La Liga wins, Yamal remains among the favourites for the 2026 prize and hopes to rewrite history as the youngest ever winner.
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