“Everyone now sees who Lamine is, but I’ve known him for a long time” - Pau Cubarsi makes huge Ballon d'Or claim about Lamine Yamal

Talented Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi has made a huge Ballon d'Or claim about his teammate Lamine Yamal. The two young players only recently graduated from the Blaugrana's La Masia academy to showcase impressive performances on Europe's biggest stages.

Yamal broke through to the first team in April 2023, notably making his first-team debut under former manager Xavi Hernandez. It took a little longer for Cubarsi, who made his first-team debut in January 2024, under the same manager.

The duo has since become a massive part of Barcelona's future plans. This season, they have helped drive the club to the top of the LaLiga standings, sitting six points ahead of Real Madrid. They notably partook in the 4-0 demolition of Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu on October 26.

Yamal, who helped Spain win Euro 2024 after breaking into the national side's first team, won the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or award ceremony. Now, Cubarsi has openly made the claim that the 17-year-old can go on to win the prestigious Golden Ball, telling RAC1 in an interview (via Barca Universal):

“Lamine Yamal can win the Ballon d’Or. Everyone now sees who Lamine is, but I’ve known him for a long time. He has the skill set required to achieve it."

This season, Lamine Yamal has already scored six goals and provided seven assists in 14 games across all competitions. He is widely recognized as one of the most exciting young talents in the world, and if he continues on this trajectory, the Ballon d'Or could well be within his grasp.

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Netherlands legend praises Barcelona talent Lamine Yamal at Ballon d'Or ceremony

Netherlands legend Ruud Gullit has spoken in glowing terms about Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal. The former footballer presented the Kopa Trophy to the 17-year-old at the Ballon d'Or award ceremony, and took some time to speak about Yamal.

He said (via The New York Times):

"I think he’s very mature in the way he plays. I think he has a huge future ahead of him and will win many trophies. I saw him in the Euros final against England. History was in his hands."

"We need young players, we need players that have the talent and show it. This is the thing we miss. We live in an era of players taking one or two touches, but we need to see players dribbling. Please!"

Lamine Yamal and Barcelona will next be seen in action agianst Espanyol in LaLiga on Sunday, November 3.