La Liga’s president, Javier Tebas, believes Lamine Yamal was denied the Ballon d’Or due to his age. Yamal, 18, came second in the Ballon d’Or race after PSG’s and French striker Ousmane Dembélé was honoured with the prestigious award.

Yamal had come up with consistent performances in the 2024-25 season for both club and country, and he is definitely one of the favorites for the prestigious award.

The young Spaniard is currently one of the best players in the world and has hogged the limelight for his impressive game.

Yamal scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions in the previous season. The 18-year-old played a key role in helping the Catalan club win the La Liga title, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de España.

“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],” Tebas said in reference to Yamal and the Ballon d’Or result.

However, Lamine Yamal won the men’s Kopa Trophy for a second successive season, becoming the first player to win the award more than once.

On the other hand, former France captain Olivier Giroud shared his surprise after Dembele was awarded the Ballon d’Or.

“Would I see him as a potential Ballon d’Or winner? It’s hard to say, but when I saw him every day in the French national team, no, I didn’t necessarily see it as a possibility,” Giroud said on L’Equipe.

“To win the Ballon d’Or, you have to have the talent, but also a good season. He has the talent, but he had to have a good season, at the right club, while winning everything. The Ballon d’Or always depends on collective successes.”

The French forward scored 35 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions for treble-winners PSG.