Álex Baena Hails Lamine Yamal as the World’s Best Player
Álex Baena has named Lamine Yamal as the best player in world football, saying the Barcelona winger has become one of the rare footballers he will watch purely for individual brilliance.
The Spain midfielder has trained alongside Yamal during international duty and said the 17-year-old produces actions he does not see from other professionals. Baena also revealed that Barcelona are difficult for him to watch when Yamal is absent.
Quick facts
- Baena rates Yamal ahead of every other player in the game.
- His personal Ballon d’Or top three is Yamal, Rodri and Lionel Messi.
- Baena says Yamal’s performances in Spain training have stood out even among elite teammates.
- Yamal has argued that the Ballon d’Or should prioritise the best individual player, not simply major team trophies.
Baena said he watched Yamal repeatedly during the summer and compared the teenager’s pull to the effect Lionel Messi once had on him. He believes Yamal can do things that are beyond the reach of almost every other professional.
Asked for his three leading Ballon d’Or candidates, Baena selected Yamal first, followed by Rodri and Messi. He pointed to Rodri’s World Cup achievements and Messi’s level at the age of 39 as reasons for their inclusion.
Yamal has recently questioned the way the Ballon d’Or is assessed in the post-Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era. The Barcelona forward believes the prize has moved away from recognising the most naturally gifted player.
He argued that, when Messi and Ronaldo dominated, the sport broadly accepted that they were the two outstanding individuals. Yamal suggested that current debates place too much weight on team success, including claims that a Paris Saint-Germain player should win because the club lifted the Champions League.
For Baena, the clearest evidence comes away from matchday. He said Yamal’s quality in training is exceptional within the Spain squad, with teammates unable to replicate the winger’s technical work.
Barcelona will look to keep Yamal central to their push to re-establish themselves among Europe’s leading sides, while Spain’s international setup continues to give Baena a close view of the teenager’s development.
