Lamine Yamal's father slams jury on Ballon d'Or decision

Lamine Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraou, has slammed the jury after his son came second to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Ousmane Dembele in the Ballon d'Or voting.

Dembele played a decisive role in PSG’s historic campaign, guiding the club to its first-ever UEFA Champions League triumph.

The French forward had an outstanding 2024-25 season, recording 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 appearances across competitions for treble-winners PSG.

However, Yamal’s father believes his son is the best player in the world right now and ‘this is the biggest moral damage done to a human being’ by not giving him the Ballon d’Or.

"I think this is the biggest, I won't say theft, but moral damage done to a human being because I believe Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world by far, by a huge margin," Nasraou said.

"It's not because he's my son but because he's the best player in the world. I believe there are no rivals. Lamine is Lamine Yamal. Something very strange has happened here. Next year there will be a Spanish Ballon d'Or winner."

Yamal who is considered as the future of Barcelona and Spain national team has emerged as one of the biggest stars of current generation following a stellar 2024/25 campaign in which he racked up an astonishing 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 appearances, playing a pivotal role in Barcelona’s triumphs in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup.

But Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes the Champions League was the difference between Yamal and Ousmane Dembele in the Ballon d'Or race.

"I think winning the Champions League has had its weight," Laporta said.

"We were hopeful. We had Raphinha, Lamine and Pedri nominated. In the end, Lamine and Dembélé were finalists. I'm sure he [Yamal] will achieve it. Time will tell but he's got great quality.

"I'm convinced this [finishing second] will only motivate Lamine more. He is a a winner. He has a healthy ambition."