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The Ballon d’Or debate has taken another twist. Barcelona’s teenage star Lamine Yamal might have lost the 2025 crown to Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele, but a surprising reason has now emerged.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has claimed that Yamal’s age played a key role in the final vote.
Yamal, only 18, put together a season that many veterans would envy. He scored 18 goals and set up 25 more across 55 matches as Barcelona collected La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Supercopa.
The youngster also became the first player to win the Kopa Trophy twice, a prize reserved for the world’s best player under 21.
Still, the biggest trophy of all slipped away.
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Javier Tebas reveals why Lamine Yamal missed out on Ballon d’Or
Speaking to reporters, Tebas said (via Marca), “If he had been older than 23, he would have won it, too, I’m sure, but since he was younger, they gave him the other one [Kopa trophy].”
He added, “If he continues at the level he’s at, which seems likely, I think there’s no doubt he’ll win the Ballon d’Or.”
Dembele, 28, had a record-breaking campaign of his own. The PSG forward scored 35 goals in 53 games and led his club to a historic treble that included their first Champions League title.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta reportedly believes the Champions League factor gave Dembele the final push.
Yamal, meanwhile, accepted the outcome with grace. While receiving the Kopa Trophy, he said he must “keep on working to win other awards in the future.”
The teenager is currently recovering from a minor groin injury but could return when Barcelona face Real Oviedo this week.
For now, the golden ball belongs to Dembele. But if Tebas is right, it’s only a matter of time before Yamal gets his turn at the top of world football.
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