“I have other dreams to achieve”, Yamal explains why the Ballon d’Or does not obsess him

The youngest winner of the Golden Boy trophy, Lamine Yamal could become the youngest winner of the Ballon d’or in the next two or three years. Even if he doesn’t make it an obsession.

Crowned European champion with Spain, the crack Lamine Yamal became last month the youngest winner of the Golden Boy trophy, rewarding the best player under 21 playing in Europe. The Barça winger, aged only 17, is already accumulating individual distinctions at the beginning of a career which promises to be grandiose. Its popularity is such that it is one of the athletes most popular with Internet users on the Google search engine.

The young international is the most sought after football player. His exploits on the pitch, compared – even considered superior – to those of Messi at the same age, are dizzying. “It’s an honor, but I’m trying to write my own story,” tempers Lamine Yamal in an interview with Marca. “Messi is the best in history, I’m still taking my first steps. These comparisons don’t always help.”

“Everything has a cost”

Seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi waited until he turned 22 to win the first of his seven trophies. At his current pace, Lamine Yamal could beat the precocity record of the Brazilian Ronaldo, awarded in 1997 at the age of 21. “It’s not something that obsesses me. I have other dreams to achieve first, like winning a Champions League, or winning a World Cup. If one day I win the Ballon d’Or , it will first of all be the consequence of all that, of all these collective objectives that I would have achieved. But of course, it would be good.

Inspired by other Seleçao legends, Neymar and Ronaldinho, “mainly because of his fun style, his way of experiencing the game”, Lamine Yamal already enjoys global star status at 17 years old. A life that he has chosen and of which he accepts the unpleasant aspects. “It’s difficult for me to walk without being recognized, or for example to go to the movies with my friends. Simple things I would like to do that I can’t do, like walking around town, going to a shopping center or at the cinema. I know everything has a cost, but so far I’m not complaining.”