Lamine Yamal’s father has declared his son is “the best player in the world by far” after the Barcelona teenager was beaten to the Ballon d’Or by Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembélé on Monday night.
Mounir Nasraoui, speaking to Spanish media after the glittering Paris ceremony, said he found the result “very strange” and predicted Yamal would lift the prestigious trophy next year.
“I wouldn’t say it was theft,” he told reporters. “But rather moral harm to a human being.
“Because I believe Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world. By far, by far.
“Not because he’s my son, but because he has no rival. Next year, he’ll be the Spanish Ballon d’Or winner.”
The teenager had been widely tipped as a contender after a sensational season in which he scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists as Barcelona won La Liga.
However, Dembélé’s remarkable 2024-25 campaign — 35 goals, 16 assists and a clean sweep of the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophée des Champions — proved impossible for voters to ignore.
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Lamine Yamal pictured with his father and grandmother at Monday night's Ballon d'Or ceremony
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France Football director Vincent Garcia confirmed Dembélé had won “by a wide margin”, saying the PSG forward was the clear choice across all continents.
“There was no match,” Garcia explained. “This is an authoritative Ballon d’Or.”
Yamal, 18, was nevertheless honoured with the Kopa Trophy for the world’s best young player and accepted the result with grace, congratulating Dembélé with a hug at the end of the ceremony.
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Lamine Yamal was outstanding for Barcelona last term as they won La Liga and the Copa del Rey
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“I won’t forget my team-mates,” he said.
“I’ll keep working to win other titles in the future.”
The event was dominated by PSG’s presence, with nine members of last season’s squad nominated for the 30-man shortlist, although many were unable to attend due to a rescheduled league fixture away to Marseille.
Dembélé, currently sidelined with an injury, was able to collect his award in person.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was the Premier League’s top finisher in the men’s rankings, coming fourth after a record-breaking season that saw him named PFA Player of the Year as Arne Slot’s side lifted the title.
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| REUTERSHarry Kane (13th), Cole Palmer (8th), Jude Bellingham (23rd), Declan Rice (27th) and Scotland’s Scott McTominay (18th) completed the British representation.
In the women’s awards, Barcelona star Aitana Bonmatí won her third consecutive Ballon d’Or, finishing ahead of Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey and Lionesses striker Alessia Russo.
Chelsea and England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was named women’s goalkeeper of the year, while Gianluigi Donnarumma claimed the men’s Yashin Trophy.
England head coach Sarina Wiegman capped a historic year by receiving the Johan Cruyff Trophy as best coach in women’s football, a fitting recognition after guiding the Lionesses to European Championship glory.