‘Something very strange’ – Father of Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal blasts Ballon d’Or vote

The father of Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal has launched a stinging attack on the Ballon d’Or voting process after the 18-year-old finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé.

Mounir Nasraoui said he believed his son had done enough to win football’s most prestigious individual prize and accused organisers of inflicting “moral harm” by overlooking him for the top award.

Yamal, who has Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean heritage through his parents, had been tipped as a potential winner after a dazzling season for Barcelona.

His consistent displays for club and country and a second successive Kopa Trophy had marked him out as the heir to the game’s biggest accolades, but the French-Malian Dembélé was instead crowned 2025 Ballon d’Or winner on Monday night in Paris.

Speaking on Spanish television show El Chiringuito, Nasraoui expressed his frustration at the outcome.

“I think this is the greatest harm, I wouldn’t say theft, but moral harm caused to a human being, because I believe that Lamine Yamal is by far the best player in the world, and by far the one who makes a lot of difference,” he said.

“Not because he’s my son, but because he’s the best player in the world. I think there is no rival, Lamine Yamal is Lamine Yamal.

“It must be said that something very strange has happened here. Greetings to all of Spain, and next year it will be Spanish ball,” he added.

Yamal’s father’s comments have sparked debate in Spain and beyond over the Ballon d’Or’s voting process and whether the Barcelona teenager’s extraordinary rise is being fully recognised.