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.
Footballer Lamine Yamal speaks on the Ballon d’Or award and shares how he will still be happy if his teammate, Pau Cubarsí, gets the award.
“Last year, for me, Cubarsí was the best young player in the world. Either the Kopa award or the Ballon d’Or should go to him. There’s no difference between us.
“When I won it, I told him that he would be next. If he doesn’t win it for whatever reason, I will give it to him.”
Popular footballer Cristiano Ronaldo speaks on retirement and shares how he actually thought of retiring from international football after the 2026 World Cup.
“I thought about retiring from international football after the World Cup, but I spoke to the president, coach, and I am still here. I am an asset, I can help.”
He adds, “The young kids love me because they see me as an example, and that, for me, is the most important thing. I will continue to do that even when I retire after 10 years.”
Footballer Kylian Mbappé shares that he actually came close to signing with Liverpool.
“I was close to Liverpool. My mum was a big fan of Jurgen Klopp, and the favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there,” Mbappé told The Athletic.
“I didn’t listen because I wanted to play in my city, Paris. I didn’t want to leave my country before I was someone. But yes, my mum was always saying, ‘Liverpool — you’re going to be there, playing at Anfield, it’s going to be insane for you.’ I was like, ‘OK!’
“All the time we were talking. ‘What do you think, Mum?’ She’d say, ‘For me, you have to go to Liverpool.’ I said, ‘OK, OK, OK!’ because Jurgen Klopp was an amazing manager. I met him and had a wonderful relationship with him. I had big respect for him.”
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