Lamine Yamal sends strong message to Ballon d'Or after France vs Spain

TPO - 17-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal has made his mark in the Golden Ball race with a brilliant performance, contributing greatly to Spain's 5-4 defeat of France and the right to enter the UEFA Nations League final against Portugal.

Yamal scored twice in Spain's 5-4 win over France.

Give the Golden Ball to Yamal now!

The UEFA Nations League semi-final was expected to be a high-profile showdown between two Ballon d’Or contenders: Lamine Yamal – the La Liga and Copa del Rey winner with Barcelona, ​​and Ousmane Dembele – the PSG star with the treble. However, in Stuttgart, it was the young La Roja talent who shone with an impressive performance.

Yamal assisted Nico Williams' opener, which started a blistering first half with a 2-0 advantage for Spain. He continued to shine in the second half with a brace, helping his team to a 5-1 lead. Although France tried to pull three goals back in the final minutes, it was too late to prevent La Roja from reaching the final.

“Lamine sent a clear message that he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said after the match. "He is the best player in the world right now and in my opinion he deserves to be honored."

The best player in the UEFA Nations League semi-final was not arrogant. Before the match, Yamal said he did not see this as a “Golden Ball battle”, because “that award should go to the best player of the year”. But after 90 minutes of overshadowing the entire star-studded Les Bleus side, he had no need to say anything more because the pitch spoke for itself.

Teammate Nico Williams, who opened the scoring for Spain, said: "I hope Yamal wins the Ballon d'Or."

“It’s not just the two goals, it’s every touch that he makes people admire,” said Rafael Louzan, president of the Spanish Football Federation. “And the scariest thing is that Yamal is only just getting started. He deserves the Ballon d’Or award.”

Promise to Mom

In complete contrast to Yamal, Dembele, a Champions League winner with PSG, was substituted immediately after the fifth goal, leaving the field quietly without leaving any mark.

“I always told my mother that I would give everything,” Yamal shared emotionally. “That's why I wake up every morning, that's the motivation for me to play football. Dembele is a world-class player, everyone can see that in the Champions League. But today, we are the ones in the final."

Spain's victory was not easy. Three goals in a row from France in the final minutes, from Rayan Cherki's superb goal, Dani Vivian's own goal and Kolo Muani's header, left the crowd breathless. But La Roja held firm.

Yamal overshadowed the entire French team.

“France have players who never give up. They always fight until the last second," Yamal admitted. "But we played a great game and deserved to go through."

With this victory, Spain - the reigning Euro champions - will face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the final in Munich at the weekend. A much-anticipated showdown between two of Europe's top football powers and also an opportunity for Yamal to continue conquering the world.

“It will be a close final,” Yamal said. “Portugal have some of the best players in the world, just as strong as France. The better team will win, and I hope it will be Spain. We want to bring the trophy home.”

Trong Dat

Source: https://tienphong.vn/lamine-yamal-gui-thong-diep-manh-me-toi-qua-bong-vang-sau-dai-chien-phap-vs-tay-ban-nha-post1748760.tpo