Barcelona boss Hansi Flick backs Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or claim and insists teenager’s ego ‘isn’t a problem’

Speaking ahead of Barca’s clash with Racing Santander, Flick made it clear that Yamal’s self-belief is entirely justified. He pointed to the youngster’s incredible success for both club and country.

“He’s honest, he has the self-confidence,” Flick said explained. “He has shown this season how good he is. He’s exceptional. His opinion is that he deserves it and I think also he deserves it: two titles [LaLiga and the Spanish Supercopa] with us, the World Cup with the Spanish national team, why not?

“It’s the same self confidence he has on the pitch. Whether it’s 1v1 or 1v2 or 1v3, everyone in the stadium is like ‘Wow.’ This is Lamine. I will support him. It is amazing to have a player like him. Why should we not [campaign for him to win the Ballon d’Or]? It’s normal. It’s our player. We support our player.”