Barcelona vice-president backs 19-year-old superstar for Ballon d’Or: ‘He deserves it’

Barcelona vice-president backs 19-year-old superstar for Ballon d’Or: ‘He deserves it’ The Ballon d’Or nominees list emerged last week, and Barcelona had quite a few representatives on the back of an excellent season. Hansi Flick’s men won the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga , and some of the protagonists of the Barça team went on to lift the World Cup with Spain. Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste has now thrown his support behind Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d’Or. Yuste backs Lamine for Ballon d’Or Speaking about the Barça superstar, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo , Yuste highlighted not only Lamine’s performances but also the connection he has created with young supporters. “Lamine deserves the Ballon d’Or for bringing so much happiness to so many boys and girls,” Yuste said. It is a different argument from the usual Ballon d’Or discussion, which tends to revolve around goals, assists, trophies and performances in the biggest matches. Lamine Yamal is already a global superstar at just 19. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images) However, Yuste’s point captures something Barcelona supporters have experienced since Lamine’s emergence. He has become more than simply Barça ’s most dangerous attacker. His style of football, built around imagination, dribbling and the willingness to constantly challenge defenders, has made him someone the world tunes in to watch. Lamine has performances to match the emotion The emotional argument would mean little without sporting performances behind it, and that is where Lamine’s case becomes much stronger. At only 19, he has already become one of the central figures in Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. Opponents increasingly design defensive plans specifically around stopping him, yet he continues to find ways to influence games. His extraordinary one-v-one ability gives Barça something few teams possess: a player capable of destroying a defensive structure through individual quality. Barcelona are very lucky to have a player like Lamine Yamal. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Moreover, he has a penchant for performing when the lights shine brightest, and that is what the best players in the world do. A symbol of the new Barcelona and football in general There will naturally be strong competition for the award, and Barcelona cannot expect sentiment to decide an individual prize. The likes of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe are very close contenders for the award, with the former arguably the favourite. However, with Lamine, La Masia has produced another footballer who has become a global star while still at the beginning of his footballing career. Whether Lamine wins it this time or not, it will not be long before he gets his hands on the trophy, and it remains to be seen how things play out.