Lamine Yamal has been tipped by his Barcelona teammate Robert Lewandowski to one day win the Ballon d'Or.
Yamal had a breakthrough year in 2024, starring for Spain as he won a record-breaking fourth European Championship title in Germany and took on a central role for his club.
At 16, Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in European Championship history when he struck in the semi-final against France, before the winger assisted Nico Williams' opener in the final a day after turning 17.
At club level, Yamal scored 12 goals and provided 16 assists in all competitions in 2024, with only Lewandowski (46) and Raphinha (37) registering more goals among his Blaugrana teammates.
These performances led to Yamal finishing eighth in the voting for the Ballon d'Or, which was won by Manchester City midfielder Rodri, ahead of Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior.
When asked by ESPN whether Yamal could win football's most prestigious individual award in the future, Lewandowski said: “He certainly could.
“I'm not the kind of person who likes to talk well about players because sometimes when I talk, I speak well about players and later they fall.
“Sometimes it's better to talk about finding the worst things, but it's hard to talk about this with Lamine.
“I'm sure he will be one of the best players in the world and that he will have a great future.”
Lewandowski has seen many talented youngsters fail to fulfill their potential, but if Yamal surrounds himself with the right people, the striker expects to remain a force for years to come.
“I'm not going to talk about his talent because everyone knows how talented he is. It's just about what I'm trying to tell him for the future, not for the next two or three years, but for the next ten or fifteen years.” ” Lewandowski continued.
“I think the people around him are very important at the moment, so that he doesn't grow too fast. I don't mean on the field, but in everything.
“Football is cruel sometimes and you have to be prepared for that. I'm sure the path he's following is exactly the best for him.”
Yamal scored on Wednesday as Barca defeated Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals of the Supercopa de España, setting up the final match against Madrid on Sunday.
The Blaugrana now have the chance to win a record-breaking 15th title, with Sunday's match being the 10th Supercopa final with the Clasico rivals.
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