Unlike his father, Lamine Yamal took the high ground in the aftermath of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, congratulating Ousmane Dembélé for a “great season” which earned him individual glory.
Yamal won the Kopa Trophy as the best player aged under 21 and finished a remarkable second in the senior award, climbing six places compared to last year’s finish. Had the 18-year-old won the main prize, he would have shattered Ronaldo’s record as the youngest ever Ballon d’Or winner. Yamal still has two years left to topple that record and showed no public signs of bitterness after missing out on Monday night.
“God’s plan is perfect, you have to climb to get to the top,” the Barcelona forward wrote on Instagram on Tuesday afternoon. “Happy for the Kopa trophy x2 and congratulate Dembélé for the award and the great season.”