Lamine Yamal: Ballon d’Or loss to Dembele spurred his maturity

Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal said he expected to win the Ballon d’Or but that losing to former teammate Ousmane Dembele ultimately helped him grow. "To be honest, that day I thought I was going to win it," he said on his YouTube channel, adding: "I honestly believe it was good for me that Dembele won it, so that I could develop.

Perhaps it wasn’t the right time for me." The 18-year-old reflected on the pressure of international football, admitting he felt like "a kid" early on and learnt to stay calmer. "You get butterflies because it’s an international tournament. I learnt to stay calmer.

The matches are long, and so are the tournaments. You always finish better than you start," he explained. Yamal still looks up to past greats, naming Neymar as his idol: "I’ll always enjoy watching Ney because he’s my idol." He also singled out Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki as contemporary players he enjoys watching, highlighting his appreciation for modern, high-intensity wing play and technical flair.

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