Lamine Yamal’s dad makes ‘very strange’ statement on Ballon d’Or controversy

Lamine Yamal’s father has broken his silence on the Ballon d’Or controversy after Barcelona’s teenage forward was beaten to the award by PSG ace Ousmane Dembele

Lamine Yamal’s father has blasted Ballon d’Or bosses for overlooking his son and awarding the coveted prize to Ousmane Dembele. The PSG winger claimed the accolade for the first time after helping the French club secure Champions League glory last season.

Yamal ultimately came second in the voting following a brilliant campaign with Barcelona. Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, initially appeared to accept the result after the ceremony by telling reporters outside the venue that ‘next year it will be ours’.

But in a separate chat with Spanish outlet El Chiringuito, he seemed to hint that an injustice had taken place. He insisted that ‘something strange’ must have occurred for Yamal not to claim the Ballon d’Or last night.

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“I wouldn’t say [it was a] robbery, but a moral prejudice to a human being because I think Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world by far, by very far,” said Nasraoui.

“It isn’t because he is my son that he is the best player in the world; he doesn’t have a rival. It’s Lamine Yamal. Something very strange happened here.”

Meanwhile, France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia has disclosed that Dembele secured the Ballon d’Or by a substantial margin, with no other candidate coming close to claiming first place.

“There wasn’t really a contest, Ousmane won it quite comfortably,” he said, before adding that voting on all continents was heavily in favour of the Frenchman. The full voting breakdown will be published by France Football this weekend.

Dembele broke down in tears as he accepted the Ballon d’Or on stage, using his victory speech to thank his family and team-mates for supporting his career.

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Addressing the crowd, he said: “What I have just experienced is exceptional, I have no words for it, what happened with PSG. I feel a bit of stress. It’s not easy to win this trophy and to have it presented to me by Ronaldinho, a legend of football, is exceptional.

“I want to thank PSG who came to get me in 2023. It’s an incredible family. The president Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] is like a father to me. I also want to thank all the staff and the coach, who have been exceptional with me, and all of my team-mates.

“We have practically won everything together. You supported me in the good and the difficult times. This individual trophy is one the team has won collectively.”

After the ceremony had ended, Dembele said: “I didn’t want to cry, but as soon as I started talking about my family, about the people who have been there for me, it came up and I couldn’t hold it back.”

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