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Lamine Yamal was named the Golden Boy for the second time of his career but declared that team-mate Pau Cubarsi should have been the recipient as the Barcelona sensation chases his first Ballon d’Or.
Yamal, 19, is vying for football’s top individual prize after winning the World Cup with Spain in the summer, becoming the first player under 20 to appear and win in both a European Championship and World Cup final.
It came off the back of a domestic season in which he bagged 24 goals and 18 assists across all competitions for Barcelona in another LaLiga-winning season.
He has brought his scintillating form into the new campaign, notching 20 goal contributions in 13 games as Barcelona won nine from their first nine to go clear at the top of the league.
The Spaniard is hoping to pip Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane to the Ballon d’Or and now has the chance to become the first player since Lionel Messi to win both the Ballon d’Or and Golden Boy awards on the same night.
But as he received the accolade for the best young player of the year, he said that Barca and Spain team-mate Cubarsi – who was named the young player of the tournament at the World Cup – should have been on stage accepting the award instead of him.
“It’s an honour to be here and to receive this prize,” Yamal said.
“I would like Cubarsi my team-mate to be here because I think this prize should have been for him, he deserved it. He’s been playing at a top level for some time and I wish he had won it.
“It’s my third year up here for this prize and I’m very grateful for this prize. I’d like to thank my club, my national team and everybody and I will continue working to win these collective and individual prizes.”
Yamal first won the Golden Boy award in 2024 off the back of Spain’s Euro 2024 win and last season finished runner-up in the race for the Ballon d’Or.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe is also a top contender in a very open race for the top individual prize.
