Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal retained the Kopa Trophy after a record-breaking season for club and country.
Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal has been crowned the world’s best young footballer for the second consecutive year, winning the prestigious Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris.
Yamal, 18, played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s domestic dominance, helping the Catalan giants secure the La Liga title, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup during the 2024-25 season. On the international stage, he was instrumental in Spain’s run to the Euro 2024 crown, becoming the youngest player to feature in a European Championship final and the youngest goalscorer in the tournament’s history.
The forward outshone rivals including Barcelona teammate Pau Cabarsi, Arsenal’s Martin Lewis-Skelly, Chelsea’s Estevao and PSG’s Desire Doue, who finished second. His tally of 18 goals and 25 assists last season also made him La Liga’s top creator.
With talk of Champions League, World Cup and Nations League glory ahead, many predict Yamal could soon challenge for the Ballon d’Or itself.