Sport
“Lamine Yamal Deserved World’s Best Player Title” – Jorge Mendes Says
Lamine Yamal’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has passionately argued that the 17-year-old Barcelona starlet was the best footballer of 2024, despite missing out on the prestigious Ballon d’Or.
“Lamine was the best player in the world this year, but he didn’t get the recognition he deserved because of his age,” Mendes remarked.
“People think he has plenty of time to win, so they overlooked him this time around.”
Despite being just 17, Yamal made history as one of the youngest players to feature in the Ballon d’Or rankings, finishing 8th.
He competed against football heavyweights like Manchester City’s Rodri, who played a crucial role in his team’s treble-winning season, Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe.
Others ahead of him included Dani Carvajal, Lautaro Martinez, and the eventual winner Erling Haaland, who had a record-breaking season with Manchester City.
Although Yamal didn’t take home the Ballon d’Or, he was honoured with the award for Best Young Player in the World.
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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