Tebas: Lamine Yamal deserved the Ballon d’Or, age was key.

Javier Tebas: Age Was a Factor in Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or Race

The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, has expressed his opinion on Lamine Yamal’s position at the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony. Tebas believes that the player’s youth was a determining factor in his performance, but he is confident that the Barcelona star will conquer the prestigious award in the future. Yamal, who turned 18 in July, came in second place in the Ballon d’Or voting, surpassed by Ousmane Dembélé, forward for Paris Saint-Germain. The young Barcelona and Spanish national team player made history by becoming the only multiple winner of the Kopa Trophy, an award that recognizes the best player under 21 years old.

“If I had been over 23 years old, I would have won it too, I’m sure, but as I was younger, they gave him the other [Kopa trophy],” declared Tebas, referring to Yamal and the Ballon d’Or result.

Javier Tebas

Unlike Thebes, Barcelona president Joan Laporta considered that the Champions League was the decisive factor in the election of the Ballon d’Or.

Dembélé, 28, scored 35 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions for PSG, who won Ligue 1 and the French Cup, in addition to their first Champions League title. Yamal, for his part, scored 18 goals in 55 matches in all competitions last season, while Barça won LaLiga, the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey, but lost in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Inter Milan. The player stated on Monday, upon receiving the Kopa Trophy, that he must “continue working to win other awards in the future”. Yamal has already broken numerous records since he debuted with Barcelona at the age of 16, including becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of LaLiga and the youngest player to participate in a European Championship. He won the Young Player of the Tournament award at the 2024 European Championship after helping Spain win the title. Tebas showed himself convinced that Yamal will lift the Ballon d’Or in the near future.

“If he continues at the level he’s at, which seems likely, I think there’s no doubt he will win the Ballon d’Or,” he stated.

Javier Tebas