Do Do awards and trophies depend on the talent and performance of each athlete? This question was recently answered by Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal. Despite his short professional career, he surprised everyone with his focused perspective on the game.
The 18-year-old has already won two La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cups and one Copa del Rey with Rose, as well as several individual titles such as the Copa Trophy and the Golden Boy. But on this occasion, Ramin broke his silence about winning the Ballon d’Or.
Yamal recalls: “My game is not based on that.”
The young forward, 15 years, 9 months and 16 years old, made his debut for Barcelona on April 29, 2023, in a 4-0 win against Real Betis, thanks to former technical director Xavi Herndez.
From there, Lamine became a key player in Rose’s attack, even earning comparisons with club legends such as Lionel Messi (who outsold Messi in jersey sales last year, for example). He was named the best young player at Euro 2024 and finished second behind Ousmane Demble in last year’s Ballon d’Or rankings, but won the Copa Trophy at the same gala, which he had won the year before.
However, despite the honor of winning such a prestigious and important award, the young player admitted that his focus is on his game rather than winning the Ballon d’Or, as many factors influence the selection of the winner.
“I don’t think about it,” he said in an interview with Mundo Deportivo. “It’s an award you can’t answer if you think about it. It depends on what you win, how you play and who votes. It’s not about how you play. I just want to have fun and win with Rose and the national team.”
This season, he played in a total of 29 games with Bara, scoring 14 goals and providing 13 assists. Ramin admitted that statistics are not important to him, but that he only cares about the collective good and contributing from his position to the team’s success.
“My play is not based on that. It’s true that it creates controversy because I don’t score when I play well and I don’t play well when I score. But I want to play well for the team to win and to keep it that way.”
Meanwhile, the young talent is in demand for a job with the Spanish national team. The first challenge will be the Finalissima, a match between the European and American champions, which will take place on March 27 at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar, where Lionel Messi and Argentina will defend the title they won in 2022 against Italy (0-3).
Furthermore, ahead of the FIFA World Cup, Yamal, who had never played in the tournament, officially qualified for his first World Cup. He will make his Group H debut on Monday, June 15th against Cape Verde at Atlanta Stadium. They will then play against Saudi Arabia at Mexico’s Guadalajara Stadium on Sunday the 21st, and against Uruguay on the 26th.
Meanwhile, Yamal and Barcelona aim to extend their winning streak when they face RCD Mallorca in a LaLiga match this Saturday, February 7th, at the Spotify Camp Nou.
