Soccer-Yamal made big Ballon d'Or statement against France, says De la Fuente
(Reuters) -Lamine Yamal's match-winning performance against France in the semi-finals of the Nations League on Thursday has underlined his Ballon d'Or credentials, said Spain manager Luis de la Fuente.
The 17-year-old Barcelona sensation lifted Spain to a thrilling 5-4 win over France by scoring twice, which sent the holders through to their third successive Nations League final where they will face Iberian neighbours Portugal.
The contest to lift the prestigious golden ball trophy in September is widely seen as one between Yamal and France forward Ousmane Dembele, with both playing crucial roles for their clubs and countries this season.
"Yamal has made a statement tonight and shown that he should win the Ballon d'Or," De la Fuente told broadcaster RTVE.
"He's the best player in the world and, in my opinion, of course, he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or."
The 28-year-old Dembele, a former Barcelona man, can boast of the Champions League, Ligue 1, French Cup and French Super Cup titles this campaign, while Yamal has LaLiga, Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup to his name.
"I always say the same thing to mum, that I try to give my all," Yamal said.
"That is what motivates me and what gets me up in the morning. It is why I play football. It's always best to speak on the pitch.
"Dembele is a great player, we saw that in the Champions League, but I am happy that we're the ones in the final."
The nominees for the 2025 edition of the Ballon d'Or award, which covers August 1-July 31, will be announced at the start of August, with the ceremony taking place on September 22.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
39 minutes ago
- The Star
Soccer-Late equaliser sees North Macedonia hold Belgium to draw
Soccer Football - European Qualifiers - Group J - North Macedonia v Belgium - National Arena Todor Proeski, Skopje, North Macedonia - June 6, 2025 Belgium's Alexis Saelemaekers in action with North Macedonia's Ezgjan Alioski REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski SKOPJE (Reuters) -North Macedonia equalised four minutes from time to hold Belgium to a 1-1 draw in their World Cup qualifying tie on Friday and keep up their unbeaten start to their Group J campaign. Ezgjan Alioski scored a superb goal as he latched onto a cross from Darko Churlinov that floated over his head before he met it with perfect precision to volley home. Maxim De Cupyer's first half goal had Belgium in the lead as they played their first game of the campaign for places at the 2026 finals in North America. North Macedonia have five points, with one win and two draws from their opening three games, while Wales took over the lead in the standings after they beat Liechtenstein 3-0 at home on Friday to move to seven points. De Cupyer bundled the ball into the net in the 28th minute after Romelu Lukaku's initial effort had been blocked by the heels of a defender. North Macedonia had a chance one minute earlier to open the scoring as Eljif Elmas turned into space in the penalty area and struck the ball against the far post. The rebound fell for Alioski with an open goal in front of him, but he hit the other post in a major missed opportunity. Elmas had the ball in the Belgian net two minutes into the second half but his shot took a slight deflection off teammate Bojan Ilievski, who was in an offside position and VAR chalked off the potential. But the home side finally got rewards for their efforts with Alioski's goal keeping alive their hopes. The group winners qualify for next year's finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States and the runners-up advances to the playoffs. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Chess-Carlsen puts meltdown behind him to win Norway Chess tournament
FILE PHOTO: Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen looks on ahead of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris, France, April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes (Reuters) -Chess great Magnus Carlsen recovered from his meltdown against world champion Gukesh Dommaraju last weekend to win the Norway Chess tournament on Friday. The Norwegian world number one drew his last game against India's Arjun Erigaisi but it proved enough for him to finish on 16 points, half a point ahead of American Fabiano Caruana. Indian Gukesh, who lost to Caruana in the final game, ended up third on 14.5 points. "It's a huge relief after a day like this, a tournament like this," Carlsen said. Last Sunday, Carlsen had Gukesh on the ropes for much of their game but his composure cracked under the pressure of a ticking clock and he committed a blunder that handed Gukesh a decisive advantage. Carlsen slammed his fist on the table after the defeat before exchanging a quick handshake with Gukesh, apologising for his outburst and storming off. "Obviously my struggles here have been well documented but at least I fought until the end," the five-time classical world champion, who did not defend his title in 2023 citing a lack of motivation, said. "I'm not going to say that this tournament was my last (in standard chess) for sure, but I enjoy other forms of chess a lot more." (Reporting by Julien Pretot)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Tennis-Ruthless Sinner downs Djokovic to reach maiden French Open final
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning his semi final match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq PARIS (Reuters) -World number one Jannik Sinner defeated record-chasing Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6(3) in a clash of generations on Friday to set up a blockbuster French Open final showdown with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Playing a younger, modern version of himself, the 38-year-old Djokovic looked every bit his age for a while on Court Philippe Chatrier as Sinner used his blistering forehand to send the Serbian chasing the ball left, right and centre. But the former Serbian world number one, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, showed he thrived on the grandest stage and threatened a comeback only to miss three set points in the third. The Italian, who recently came back from a doping ban, stood firm in the tiebreak and wrapped up the contest on his second match point. He will face a sterner test in Sunday's final against Alcaraz, who advanced when his semi-final opponent Lorenzo Musetti retired injured at the beginning of the fourth set. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
