Why Barcelona star Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or runner-up finish feels like just the beginning – Opinion | OneFootball

The stage was set at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris for one of Lamine Yamal or Ousmane Dembele to walk away with the Ballon d’Or for the 2024–25 season. Ultimately, to the crowd’s liking, it was the Frenchman who claimed the contentious yet coveted trophy.

Common sense indicated, based on the usual criteria, that Dembele deserved the trophy. PSG won everything they played for last season, with the exception of the Club World Cup, and there is no doubt that the former Barcelona winger was the team’s leading figure.

However, football has worked in strange ways in the past, and Lamine, despite being knocked out in the semi-finals of the Champions League, enthralled one and all with his performances. His two games against Inter Milan last season will go down in football folklore.

Lamine already had some success early in the ceremony when he became the first player to defend his Kopa Trophy. However, his eyes were set on a much bigger prize, which ultimately did not come his way.

That said, it is safe to say that the Spanish sensation almost tasted blood with the Ballon d’Or this year, and he will want more. Lamine has grown by leaps and bounds as a footballer over the past 12 months, and the next 12 could see an even more fearsome version of him unleashed.

The Barcelona star started the new season like a man possessed, contributing in one way or another in every single game he played for club and country, before an injury kept him out of action in recent weeks.

Joan Laporta confirmed yesterday, in Paris, that Lamine was closing in on a return to action, and he will be working hard to be fit and ready for the PSG game next week. Although Dembele is unlikely to be ready for that game, it is bound to be an absolute firecracker.

Lamine, at just 18, is hitting unprecedented heights. It is quite ridiculous that an 18-year-old finishing second in the Ballon d’Or race feels like a disappointment, but that is the standard the Spaniard has set for himself in his very short career so far.

If he can continue to grow and develop in a similar fashion, and continue to deliver defining performances on the biggest stages while winning trophies, do not be surprised to see him back in Paris in subsequent years, lifting the trophy that eluded him this year. His time will come.

A special word for Ousmane in this regard. The Frenchman has been through many ups and downs throughout his career, and his victory is a reminder to everyone that it is never too late to get things right.

His speech after lifting the award was very classy, and he took time to appreciate both Barcelona and Lionel Messi for shaping his career. It is a shame that we never got to see this version of the Frenchman at the Catalan club, but one cannot help but feel happy for his success. ¡Felicidades!