Neymar backs Lamine Yamal to win Champions League & Ballon d’Or next year
(Courtesy : LaLiga)
The Brazilian won his first-ever UCL at Barcelona.
Even though Barcelona’s Champions League campaign ended tragically against Atletico Madrid, one of the team’s past greats, Neymar, was deeply impressed by Lamine Yamal’s performance.
Yamal’s rise to prominence as a true leader at the age of just 18 has persuaded many that he is the successor apparent at Camp Nou, despite the disappointment of losing the competition in the quarterfinals.
Neymar gave the teenager, who has always mentioned the Brazilian as one of his football inspirations, a positive assessment. Seldom has the Santos forward spoken so bluntly about a young player as he did about Yamal recently, calling the Barcelona wonderkid’s ascent “unreal.”
Having experienced the burden of being a teenage prodigy himself, Neymar has been attentively observing Yamal’s growth and believes the Spaniard is destined for the top spot.
Lamine Yamal is destined for the pinnacle of the game, according to the renowned Brazilian who forged his own storied route at Camp Nou.
The Brazilian backs Lamine Yamal to win both Ballon d’Or and UCL next season
When talking about the La Masia graduates’ potential, Neymar did not hold back, ranking him alongside the club’s most notable figures. The Brazilian conveyed his amazement at what the young player is now accomplishing on the field:
“I truly believe Lamine is one of the greatest teenage sensations football’s ever seen,” Neymar said. “There was Leo Messi, there was me — but what this kid is doing at 18 years old is simply something unreal.”
“His time is coming! I hope he wins the Champions League next year… and why not the Ballon d’Or too? He’s so special. One of those players I’ll always be rooting for, for sure,” Neymar concluded.
At the age of 18, Lamine Yamal has already experienced all sorts of emotions on the European big stage. Last season, they were close to reaching the final but lost to Inter. Meanwhile, this season, they couldn’t go past the quarterfinals.
Besides all of this, the kind of performance Yamal continues to demonstrates it’s inevitable that he will win the Ballon d’Or in the near future.
Has Neymar ever won a Ballon d’Or?
No, but he has finished third twice.
Has he won the Champions League?
Yes, with Barcelona.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.