Gerard Deulofeu has hailed Lamine Yamal as the game's finest creator and insists the 18-year-old already merits Ballon d’Or recognition.
Praised as greatest football creatorBallon d’Or claims at just 18Former Barca ace backs teen sensationFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Former Barca winger Deulofeu has thrown his full support behind teenage sensation Yamal for the 2025 Ballon d’Or. The 31-year-old hailed the young Spaniard as the world’s best creator despite still being just 18. Deulofeu praised Yamal’s vision, technical quality and impact on Barcelona’s treble-winning campaign, calling him the standout footballer of the year.
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"It's not about who I want to win, but honestly, being a football player, watching football and watching a lot of Barcelona games, European games, there's no doubt for me that the best football creator is Lamine Yamal. He may be young, he may be what people want, someone else may have won more titles, but if you watch the games the greatest football creator is Lamine Yamal and for me there's no doubt that he's been the best this year," said Deulofeu.
He also mentioned the reason why he personally like Yamal: "He's a player with a lot of room for improvement. I hope he can also start playing in deeper positions. But he's a creative player. And players who create football motivate me when I watch a game.
"Honestly, I'm delighted to see him at Barcelona, where I also played in the youth academy. So I'm happy to see a player like him who can help both the Spanish national team and Barcelona."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Yamal’s meteoric rise has already seen him collect the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana and La Liga titles in a single season, making him one of the leading favourites for the Ballon d’Or. Club president Joan Laporta has also publicly endorsed his candidacy, describing him as “a genius” with the unique qualities of a future winner.
The teenager will, however, face fierce competition, most notably from Ousmane Dembele, whose Champions League and Ligue 1 double with Paris Saint-Germain puts him in direct contention. The Ballon d’Or ceremony, co-organised by UEFA and France Football, is set for 22 September at Paris.
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Yamal will be looking to cement his Ballon d’Or credentials in the early months of the new season, with both club and national team fixtures offering him a platform to outshine his rivals. The September ceremony will decide whether his creative brilliance can outweigh the title-winning resumes of competitors like Dembele, Raphinha and Liverpool's superstar Mohamed Salah.
