Yamal: If He Doesn’t Win the Ballon d’Or, He Hopes It Goes to Neymar or Messi

Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old rising star of Barcelona, stated in an interview with Camel Live that he has his sights set on winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or. However, Yamal admitted that if he fails to claim the award, he hopes the Ballon d’Or will be given to his idol Neymar, or football legend Lionel Messi.

Yamal looked back on his journey of admiring Neymar, saying he first watched Neymar play for Santos when he was five years old, and witnessed his idol’s performance in person at Camp Nou when he was seven. He said: “Neymar has always been my idol; he’s a legendary player, and of course Messi is too—I have great respect for him.”