"If he had been older than 23, he would have won it, too, I'm sure, but since he was younger, they gave him the other one [Kopa trophy],"
"If he continues at the level he's at, which seems likely, I think there's no doubt he'll win the Ballon d'Or,"
Lamine Yamal, who turned 18 in July, finished second in Ballon d'Or voting while Ousmane Dembele won after leading Paris Saint-Germain to a treble including the Champions League. Yamal recorded 20 goals and 23 assists for Barcelona since the start of last season and scored three times in seven appearances for Spain in the 2024-25 Nations League. Yamal became the first player to win the Kopa Trophy back-to-back. Javier Tebas believes Yamal's age counted against him but says continued high-level performances make future Ballon d'Or success likely. Yamal has missed Barcelona's last three matches with an international-duty injury.
Read at Soccer News
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