Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal has revealed that he genuinely believed he had a strong chance of winning the Ballon d’Or in 2025 before eventually finishing behind Ousmane Dembele.
The Spanish star, who ended the voting in second place, admitted that several events during the year made him confident that the prestigious individual award could be heading his way.
However, looking back now, Yamal says missing out on the trophy may have been the best thing for his development both as a footballer and as a person.
According to him, Dembele’s victory came at the right time, while he still had a lot to learn and experience in the game.
The Barcelona winger explained that winning such a major individual honour at a very young age might have prevented him from fully understanding the true value and significance of the award.
Yamal said he now sees the outcome as a positive experience that has helped him mature and stay focused on improving his game rather than becoming distracted by personal accolades.
Despite accepting last year’s result, the teenage sensation remains ambitious and hopeful that he could eventually claim the Ballon d’Or in the future.
He expressed confidence in his continued growth and hinted that he would be aiming to challenge for the award again when the next opportunity comes around.