FC Barcelona ace Lamine Yamal wins the Ballon D'Or ceremony

FC Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal won the Kopa trophy at France Football's Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday.

The 17-year-old said: “It is an honor to receive this award,” which he dedicated “to my father, my mother and my grandmother, who have always been there.”

Lamine also thanked the Barca staff and the Spanish national team roster, as well as coaches Luis de la Fuente, Xavi (Hernandez) “and now Hansi (Flick)”.

“Visca Barca and the capital 304,” he signed, the latter a reference to the postal code in his neighborhood of Rocafonda in Mataro, a residential town 30 kilometers east of Barcelona city center.

Named after French legend Raymond Kopa, the award is given to the young player considered the world's best male soccer player under the age of 21 and is decided by all living former Ballon d'Or winners.

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe won the inaugural edition of the trophy in 2018 while still at Paris Saint-Germain, and Ajax's Matthijs de Ligt succeeded him in 2019 after the Dutch team's unlikely run to the semi-finals the Champions League, where there was also a victory – reigning defending champion Madrid at the Bernabeu.

At the turn of the decade, Barca dominated the awards with back-to-back wins for Lamine's teammates Pedri and Gavi in ​​2020 and 2021.

Madrid won the Kopa trophy for the first time in October 2023 through Jude Bellingham, but in April of the same year a groundbreaking event occurred in Catalonia when 15-year-old Lamine Gavi scored in the 83rd minute in a 4-0 win against Catalonia replaced Real Betis at the Camp Nou and made his senior debut as a 15-year-old.

In 2023/2024, Barca gave up their La Liga and Spanish Super Cup titles to Madrid. But one of the few bright spots in a trophyless season was Lamine becoming a regular on the right wing under Xavi Hernandez.

There, Lamine turned 17, traveled to the European Championships and broke records as the youngest player in the semi-finals of a major tournament since Pelé at the 1958 World Cup and as the youngest goalscorer in the continental tournament after scoring the equalizer in the semi-final against Mbappe's France.

Lamine also assisted Nico Williams on Spain's first goal in a 2-1 final win over England in Berlin as La Roja became record winners of UEFA's international showpiece.

Under the watch of Xavi's successor Hansi Flick, Lamine continued his top form at Barca in 2024/2025, becoming the youngest goalscorer in El Clasico on Saturday as the Catalans beat Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu to move a six-point lead at the Top of La Liga.

This achievement makes Lamine the youngest ever winner of the Kopa Trophy and also finished eighth in the Ballon d'Or, which at the time of publication was expected to be awarded to his Spanish counterpart Rodri, as reported by Vinicius Jr RMC when he was denied the senior award in a shocking development.

Many soccer fans and pundits are predicting that Lamine will win the Best Male Soccer Player award in the near future, and it would be hard to disagree with them if his star continues to rise rapidly.