Cubarsi: Lamine Yamal will win Ballon d’Or one day

Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí has said teammate Lamine Yamal has no ceiling and will one day win the Ballon d’Or award.

Yamal, 17, became the youngest ever winner of the Kopa Trophy as the best under-21 player on Monday. Named Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024 after helping Spain win the title, Yamal finished eighth in the Ballon d’Or rankings.

“Now everyone sees what he is, but I’ve known him for years and I know what he’s like,” Cubarsí, 17, told RAC 1.

“I think he has the ability to win it [Ballon d’Or].”

Yamal has picked up where he left off last season and has scored six goals and set up seven more in 14 appearances so far.

Asked if he thinks that Yamal has a ceiling, Cubarsí said: “I don’t think so. As he is right now, he’s at a spectacular level and to have him at that level in our team helps us a lot.

“He is full of confidence and that makes us happy.”

Yamal is the youngest scorer in LaLiga history and the youngest player ever to feature at a European Championship.

Cubarsí, who grew up with Yamal at La Masía, Barça’s academy, knows just how challenging it is for rival defenders to limit the Spanish forward.

“It’s tough,” he said. “You never know what he’s going to come out with.”