Lamine Yamal’s dad insists wrong player won Ballon d’Or after Ousmane Dembele triumph – ‘Something strange has happened’
It was a night of celebration for Ousmane Dembele, who won the Ballon d’Or for the first time after a remarkable season for Paris Saint-Germain. Lamine Yamal was the runner-up at the tender age of 18, and had the consolation prize of a second successive Kopa Trophy. But his father, Mounir Nasraoui, was displeased, vowing that Yamal will be crowned the Ballon d’Or winner next year.
Lamine Yamal‘s father accused Ballon d’Or voters of “moral damage to a human being” after Ousmane Dembele beat the Barcelona star to the prestigious individual award.
Teenager Yamal finished second behind the Paris Saint-Germain forward, with midfielder Vitinha in third.
But Yamal’s dad, Mounir Nasraoui, was less than impressed by the outcome, insisting his son is the best player in the world.
“He’s the greatest. I’m not going to say theft, but rather moral damage to a human being,” Nasraoui said on Spanish TV show El Chiringuito. “Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world by far.
“It’s not just because he’s my son, but because he’s the best player in the world. Lamine is Lamine… we have to say that something strange has happened here.
“Next year it’s ours. Next year the Ballon d’Or will be Spanish.”
Yamal was successful at the ceremony in Paris, though, as he retained the Kopa Trophy, which recognises the best players in the world under the age of 21.
The 18-year-old enjoyed a superb 2024/25 season with Barcelona, scoring 18 goals and providing 25 assists across all competitions.
“Firstly, thank you to France Football for the award,” Yamal said. “It’s an honour to be here again.
“I would also like to thank my club Barcelona, as well as the national team, because without them I would not be here.”
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was asked about Yamal’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or before the ceremony, and claimed a nomination alone was evidence of his achievements.
“I don’t know [whether he will win the Ballon d’Or on Monday],” Flick said. “One day we’ll see Lamine win this trophy, but whoever wins it this year will deserve it. For me, anyway, it’s a matter of respect to be nominated.”
Dembele, 10 years Yamal’s senior, was the “overwhelming” winner, according to France Football chief editor Vincent Garcia.
“If I had to give you a trend, there was no contest,” Garcia said. “Ousmane won by a wide margin, he gained the overwhelming support of our Ballon d’Or judges. It’s a Ballon d’Or that’s authoritative.
“There wasn’t that much of a dispersion of votes. Vitinha still picked up a few first places, Achraf Hakimi too, but ultimately not many. Ousmane Dembele was practically a smash hit across all continents, in Europe, South America, North America… It’s a clear and unmistakable Ballon d’Or.”
Dembele was emotional on stage after being announced as the winner.
“I don’t have many words. Look, it’s not easy. It is one of the best things I have accomplished in my career,” he said.
“Winning this trophy from Ronaldinho (who presented it), a legend of football, is amazing.
“To all the team and the club, it’s really an incredible family. You have been amazing since the first day. The president, since the first contact, he has been exceptional with me.
“I want to also thank all the staff at PSG, my coach Luis Enrique has been amazing with me and has been the most important of my career.
“My team-mates have been amazing in 2024 and 2025, they have been with me in the bad moments. It is not an individual trophy, it is for us all to win this.”
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