Lamine Yamal continues to garner praise after a remarkable season in which he played a key role in Barcelona’s triumphs in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup. His stellar performances have now placed him firmly in contention for the Ballon d’Or.
After an outstanding campaign with Barcelona in 2024-25, in which he scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 matches across all competitions, Yamal is off to a fine start in the new season, as he has already racked up five goal contributions in the Blaugrana’s first three La Liga matches.
Both Yamal and Dembele are the leading candidates for the top individual prize this year. The teenager’s Spanish international teammate and Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has has named the Barcelona winger as the player that deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
According to a post by Fabrizio Romano on his Facebook page, Marc Cucurella has expressed his belief that the 18-year-old deserves the Ballon d’Or after an outstanding year. The Chelsea defender added that, regardless of the outcome, the youngster has time on his side and a bright future ahead: The post reads:
Cucurella: “Lamine Yamal had a great year and he deserves the BALLON D’OR”.
Even if he doesn’t win, he’s still very young
Among Yamal’s main contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or is Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele, who scored 35 goals and notched 16 assists as Les Parisiens won a historic quadruple, including a maiden Champions League.
The finalists will be selected based on three criteria: individual performances, collective achievements/trophies won, and class/fair play.
The winner will be announced at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on September 22. Thirty finalists are in the running for this prestigious award, which honours the best player of the year.
Softfootball reported earlier that Yamal was in action for his national team on Thursday as Spain beat Bulgaria 3-0 in World Cup qualifier. Their second qualifying game of the September international break is against Turkey on Sunday.
