Hansi Flick deems Lamine Yamal worthy of the Ballon d'Or

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has emphasized that young talent Lamine Yamal deserves the prestigious Ballon d'Or award following his brilliant performance in the new Champions League season. The Catalan club started their European campaign in spectacular fashion with a 5-1 thrashing of Dutch side Feyenoord at home, with the young star becoming the main protagonist of the match. This is reported by Goal.com .

In the rainy encounter, Barcelona forward Raphinha scored a brace, contributing significantly to his team's victory. Additionally, summer signings Gabriel Jesus and Karim Adeyemi also found the back of the net. For Feyenoord, Sem Steyn managed to score a consolation goal in the final minutes to narrow the deficit.

Lamine Yamal's historic record

However, the most significant event of the match was linked to Lamine Yamal. The 19-year-old provided two assists and scored a stunning free-kick in the 77th minute, bringing his total goal contributions in the Champions League to 21 (11 goals and 10 assists). goal.com reports that he has surpassed Kylian Mbappé's record of 20 goal contributions, becoming the absolute record holder among teenagers in the tournament's history.

Furthermore, the 19-year-old and 58-day-old Spanish international became the youngest player from a La Liga club to score a free-kick in the Champions League. He surpassed the records previously held by Arda Güler and Sergio Agüero. Based on recent qualifying results, Yamal was included in the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or.

Recognition from the coach and teammates

In the post-match press conference, Hansi Flick firmly stated that his young protégé is fully deserving of the world's best player award, which will be announced in London next month. According to the coach, the youngster stands out in every game with his uniqueness and rare talent.

Raphinha, who captained the side, also mentioned that he supported Lamine throughout the game and was confident in his ability to score. The Brazilian believes it was important to encourage the young star, as he noticed he sometimes lost focus during the match.

Barcelona, under the guidance of Hansi Flick, have managed to score a total of 22 goals in their first five games of the current season. This result has raised hopes among Catalan fans for a serious challenge for the Champions League trophy, which has not been won since 2015.