Later this month, France Football will hand out the 2025 Ballon d’Or award, and Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is in contention. Should he be successful, he would become the youngest ever recipient – and some margin too, with the current record holder being Ronaldo Nazario, who won in 1997 at the age of 21.

Many have backed Lamine Yamal to win the award, although he faced strong competition from former teammate Ousmane Dembele. Speaking to MD, the Barcelona superstar has admitted that he would be overjoyed to win, although it would not be the end of the world if he were to miss out.

“Winning the Ballon d’Or at the age of 18 would be something incredible, but if it doesn’t come now I’m going to keep working to improve every day. That’s how it is. It would be a dream, of course. The Ballon d’Or is one of the greatest awards a footballer can receive. If it happens, I would celebrate it with my family and friends, they are the ones who have been with me at all times.”

Lamine Yamal speaks on Barcelona chances of silverware

During the interview, Lamine Yamal was also asked about how Barcelona match up to Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in La Liga, as well as their chances of a first Champions League win in 11 years.

“They’re both very competitive teams, but I think in the end, if we do our job well, it’s up to us. In the Champions League, there is Manchester City or Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain… They are always there. Any mistake you make in the Champions League is costly. We have to be more consistent and never disconnect.”

Lamine Yamal will be one of the leaders of the Spanish national team for next summer’s World Cup, and he has admitted that it is a dream of his to win the trophy with La Roja.

“Winning a World Cup is the dream of any footballer. It would be something historic, but we have to go step by step with humility, but knowing that we can achieve it.