Lamine Yamal finished second in the Ballon d’Or race? No worries. The Barcelona wonderkid is poised for even greater heights, according to coach Hansi Flick.
The creative hub of Flick’s reinvigorated Barcelona
side led the Catalans to a domestic treble, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup—all at the expense of fierce rivals Real Madrid.
For his part, the 18-year-old winger claimed the Kopa Trophy at Monday’s Paris gala, becoming the first player in the award’s short history to retain it.
Dembele Takes Top Prize But Yamal Finds Motivation
Yamal ultimately finished behind Ousmane Dembele, who scored 35 goals across competitions to fire PSG to their first-ever Champions League crown last season, narrowly missing out on the world’s best player title.
Yet, Flick believes the outcome will serve as motivation rather than a setback for Yamal.
“I spoke with him yesterday, and I think he sees it the right way. It’s also motivation for the next years,” Flick said.
“Dembele deserved it as well. It’s a vote; a lot of things can happen, and he accepted this in a good way. He’s motivated to show it this season. Maybe next season he’ll also be an option for the Ballon d’Or.”
The young winger is set to miss Thursday’s clash with Real Oviedo due to a groin issue.
Father Speaks Out
Not everyone took Yamal’s loss as graciously as the youngster seemingly has.
In a fiery interview with El Chiringuito TV, Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, blasted the decision, calling his son’s omission from the top prize “the greatest morale damage to a human being.”
“Lamine is the best player in the world by a huge margin. This is the greatest morale damage to a human being,” Nasraoui fumed.
However, Nasraoui also hinted that his son’s Ballon d’Or breakthrough is only a matter of time.
“Something very strange has happened here. Next year, there will be a Spanish Ballon d’Or winner,” he predicted.
