Former Newcastle United and Colombia hero Faustino Asprilla gave his thoughts on Pedri and Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or chances after his former team’s Champions League defeat to Barcelona.
Faustino Asprilla returned to St. James’ Park, the stadium where he once stunned Barça with a Champions League hat-trick in 1997. This time he watched Barça defeat Newcastle 2-1 and, instead of celebrating with the home crowd, he found himself impressed by Hansi Flick’s team, especially Pedri González.
Speaking on
Catalunya Ràdio, the former Colombian striker praised Pedri’s tireless effort and intelligence without the ball, describing his display as “extraordinary” and “like a masterclass.” Asprilla admitted he had never seen Pedri play live before and was struck by the way he moved and controlled the game.
When asked about the Ballon d’Or, Asprilla named Pedri, Lamine Yamal, and Kylian Mbappé among his top three candidates. He highlighted Yamal’s extraordinary skill at such a young age, even calling him the natural successor to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In his view, Barcelona’s attack would have been even stronger against Newcastle if Yamal had been available.
In his storied career, Asprilla was known primarily for his two stints at Parma with Newcastle Sandwiched in between, as well as his exploits for Colombia, scoring 20 goals for his home country.
