Lamine Yamal eyes next award with PSG test

BARCELONA winger Lamine Yamal almost became the youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history last week at 18, and today's Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain offers the ideal opportunity to begin staking his claim for next year.

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PSG star Ousmane Dembélé won the award for the world's best player but is sidelined with injury and will miss the match at the Olympic Stadium, leaving runner-up Yamal centre stage.

Last season, the then 17-year-old inspired Barcelona's charge to the semifinals, and despite two outstanding displays against Inter Milan, Hansi Flick's side fell just short.

They missed out on facing PSG in the final, as the French side crushed Inter to claim their first Champions League trophy.

Yamal pledged to bring the cup back to Barcelona, who have not lifted it since 2015 - the days of Lionel Messi.

Despite Yamal's immense and ever-growing quality, Barcelona have shown improvement even in his absence.

In the 2024/25 campaign, they struggled when he was unavailable, relying heavily on his influence, but they have now won five matches in a row - the first four without the teenager.