Lamine Yamal Targets Ballon d'Or Glory at Barcelona

Lamine Yamal has declared that he is already performing at Ballon d’Or level and believes relentless winning will eventually remove any doubt over his claim to world-player status.

The Barcelona and Spain forward, still only 19, finished runner-up in the vote a year ago behind Paris Saint-Germain attacker Ousmane Dembele. Dembele claimed the award after helping PSG win the Champions League, but the trophy now appears set for a new holder following Spain’s success at FIFA’s major international tournament.

Yamal faces a crowded field. Rodri, winner of the 2024 Golden Ball, remains in contention, while PSG’s Fabian Ruiz has added a world title to his European honours. Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane scored 73 goals for club and country last season, and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has continued to set scoring landmarks for France and at the World Cup.

But Yamal is not playing down his own credentials. “Honestly, it is not only this year that I have been at a Ballon d’Or-winning level; it has been longer than that,” he said. “People know that I make a difference.

“Perhaps they think I am 19 and will win it one day, so they can choose somebody else now. I have to keep winning, winning and winning, until there is no argument. Some people will love me and others will say I am a pain, and that is fine.”

Backing from former winners

Former Manchester United and Brazil midfielder Anderson, who won the 2008 Golden Boy award, believes there is no emerging player operating close to Yamal’s level. He placed the teenager alongside the current elite, naming Mbappe and Dembele, while recognising Kane’s standing despite playing in a different role.

“He is different. There is nobody else,” Anderson said. “He looks stronger now, with more power and more speed from 19 to 20. I like that he says what he will do, then delivers it. He has that strong personality.”

Anderson pointed to Yamal’s record of talking confidently before major games and then producing victories against opponents including France and Real Madrid. He added that the winger deserves consideration as the best player in the game, although the depth of high-level performances this year will make the final judgment difficult.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has offered equally emphatic support, saying Yamal would be his choice as the world’s best if he were Spain’s sole Ballon d’Or nominee. “He does everything well,” De la Fuente said. “If he is not the best, it is because he is competing with other Spanish players. He is certainly among the best, and he is on the road to becoming a legend.”

Yamal has already collected the 2024 Golden Boy award and has been compared with former Barcelona No.10 Lionel Messi. The next target is clear: add the Ballon d’Or to his growing collection, alongside his World Cup winners’ medal, and strengthen a case that is becoming harder to dismiss.