La Liga chief on Ballon d'Or row with Yamal claim - 'He would have won it'

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal missed out on the first Ballon d’Or of his career as Ousmane Dembele scooped the award in a glitzy ceremony in Paris earlier this month

La Liga president Javier Tebas has claimed that Lamine Yamal would have won the Ballon d’Or had he been older. The Barcelona star was firmly in the running for the award ahead of Monday’s glittering ceremony.

But he eventually finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele, who was rewarded for a stunning year. Despite that, Tebas has claimed that had Yamal not been 18 years of age, he would have been the overwhelming favourite.

"If he had been older than 23, he would have won it, too, I'm sure, but since he was younger, they gave him the other one [Kopa trophy]," Tebas said.

Meanwhile, the Spanish chief has predicted the teenager to secure the prestigious award sooner rather than later. He added: "If he continues at the level he's at, which seems likely, I think there's no doubt he'll win the Ballon d'Or.”

Tebas is not the only one to have hit out at the result of the voting. Yamal’s father has taken aim at the process that saw Dembele named a the best player in the world.

"He’s the greatest. I’m not going to say theft, but rather moral damage to a human being," Mounir Nasraoui said on Spanish TV show El Chiringuito. "Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world by far.

"It’s not just because he’s my son, but because he’s the best player in the world. Lamine is Lamine… we have to say that something strange has happened here. Next year it’s ours. Next year the Ballon d’Or will be Spanish."

And while Tebas and Nasraoui were far from happy with Dembele being handed the Ballon d’Or, France Football chief editor Vincent Garcia assured that the Frenchman was the overwhelming winner after all votes were compiled.

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"If I had to give you a trend, there was no contest," Garcia said. "Ousmane won by a wide margin, he gained the overwhelming support of our Ballon d'Or judges. It's a Ballon d'Or that's authoritative.

"There wasn't that much of a dispersion of votes. Vitinha still picked up a few first places, Achraf Hakimi too, but ultimately not many. Ousmane Dembele was practically a smash hit across all continents, in Europe, South America, North America... It's a clear and unmistakable Ballon d'Or."

Ironically, both Ballon d’Or rivals Dembele and Yamal are set to meet on the pitch over the coming weeks. Barcelona welcome PSG to Spain early next month for a Champions League meeting.