Sport
Capello Says 17-Year-Old Lamine Yamal is the Best Player in the World
Former Italy coach Fabio Capello has named Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal as the best footballer in the world right now. Capello, who once managed top clubs like Real Madrid, overlooked big names like Mohamed Salah, Ousmane Dembele, and even Raphinha to crown the 17-year-old as his top pick for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
He praised Yamal for doing things far beyond his age and compared the teenager to football icons like Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Yamal played a major role in Spain’s European Championship victory last year, even though he was just 16 at the time.
This season, he helped Barcelona reach the Champions League semifinals and led them to a La Liga title, matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s haul while scoring and assisting in a key 2-0 win over rivals Espanyol.
That victory sealed a domestic treble for Barça. Speaking to El Partidazo de COPE, Capello revealed his top three picks for the Ballon d’Or: Real Madrid stars Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe took second and third place, but Lamine Yamal topped his list.
In his words, “For the Ballon d’Or, I would vote Lamine Yamal. My votes would be: Vinicius, Mbappe, and first, Lamine Yamal.” Capello ended by praising Yamal’s brilliance and fearless playing style, likening it to that of the greatest footballers the game has ever seen.
Former footballer Thierry Henry has shared his thoughts on Arsenal’s match following their loss to Atlético Madrid on October 13.
Speaking during a brief interview on CBS Sports, Henry criticised the practice of players or coaches expressing certain opinions through the media instead of addressing issues directly within the dressing room.
“I’m not a coach anymore, but I always say, whoever speaks like that, out. Keep that in the dressing room, it’s as simple as that,” Henry said on CBS Sports.
“That is the only way it can work. You have to say those things to a person’s face… going through the press, I am not really a fan of that.”
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has shared his thoughts on the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, revealing that he hopes the winner will come from his team.
The manager spoke about how hard his players have worked and expressed his belief that they deserve the recognition.
“What I hope is that we win this trophy. We have players who deserve it.”
“Last year, we were the best team. We showed that it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembélé who deserved it.”
French football pundit Walid Acherchour has named Lamine Yamal as his pick to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, sparking reactions among football fans.
Acherchour’s choice came as a surprise to some fans, who expected him to support fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappé instead.
Speaking about his prediction, Acherchour expressed confidence in Yamal’s chances of winning the prestigious individual award.
“For me, Lamine Yamal, he is going to get it [2026 Ballon d’Or]. For me, there’s no doubt anymore,” Acherchour said, as quoted by Actu Foot. That start to the season shows that in fact, he was injured during the World Cup. He was the best player in La Liga, and he won the World Cup.
“Even if, for me, in fact, he doesn’t have the Ballon d’Or unanimously because his World Cup was average, even being average, he won it with Spain. He won La Liga with Barça.”
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