Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick believes the disappointment of Lamine Yamal not winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or will drive him to reach greater heights in the future, Afrosport reports.
The 18-year-old Spaniard of Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean heritage won back-to-back Kopa trophies for best young player, making him the first player to win the award consecutively.
He was tipped to win the men’s award but lost out to former Barcelona player Ousmane Dembele, who helped Paris Saint-Germain to UEFA Champions League glory.
There was obvious disappointment among Yamal supporters with his father considering it strange that he did not win the award as the best player in the world.
Flick, reacting to the Ballon d’Or outcome, said: “I spoke with him yesterday, and I think he sees it [in the] right [way], so it’s for him also motivation for the next years.
“Dembele, he deserved it also, it’s a vote and a lot of things can happen, and I think he accepted this in a good way, and he’s motivated to show it this season.
“Maybe next season he also will be an option for the Ballon d’Or, but I really appreciate that a lot of players from our team are in this situation, and it’s great for our team. It shows a lot how your last season was, and this is also our goal for this season.”
Yamal will miss Barcelona’s La Liga trip to Real Oviedo on Thursday due to a groin injury. One player that will also miss out is midfielder Gavi, who has undergone knee surgery and has been ruled out for the next four to five months. Flick stressed the importance of taking care of the 21-year-old Spaniard.
“We have to take care of him, we have to go step by step, because he is 21 years old and he has a huge career in the next 10 to 15 years,” the German tactician added.
“He’s a player with a big, big heart, he’s a player with a lot of emotion, he’s a player who lives… I wouldn’t say dies, for this club, but he’s like this, and I’m really happy to have him on my team.
“Of course, we are waiting until he’s back, it’s not easy for this team, because he has a huge quality for us, but every one of us will support him, will help him to reach his level again, and this is our goal now for him.”
Back to back!
Lamine Yamal wins the 𝗞𝗼𝗽𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 AGAIN. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/uVpVofTDYi— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 22, 2025
Barcelona are currently five points behind Real Madrid in the table, but could reduce it back to two points with a victory at Real Oviedo.
