BARCELONA.- The coach of Barcelona, Hansi Flicksupported this Tuesday that his young prodigy Lamine Yamal claim the Ballon d’Or for himself because “he deserves it.”
“He is a young player, he is sincere, he has confidence in himself and I like that,” said Flick in the press conference prior to the match. LaLiga against him Santander Racing.
Lamine stated in an interview that Kylian Mbappé and he are the best players in the world, but this year the Ballon d’Or goes to him for everything he has won.
“I’m going to support him because it’s incredible to have a player like him. If your opinion is that he deserves it, then I think so too because he has won two titles with us (LaLiga and Spanish Super Cup) and the World with the national team,” said Flick.
“He is sincere, he has confidence in himself and I like that. He shows that confidence on the pitch and that is what is important for us,” added the Barça coach.
“We all want him to play the way he plays and that comes from that confidence. One against one, or against two, or three… the whole stadium says ‘wow’. This is Lamine and I will support him,” he said.
Flick admitted that he would have preferred the young world champion not to speak so openly, but it must be accepted as part of his great self-confidence.
“He is exceptional and this is part of it… It is not what I would prefer, but he is doing this,” said the Barça coach.
“He has confidence in himself, he wants to win the Ballon d’Or,” he insisted, remembering that “as a player it is something important” to win that award.
Yamal already came close to the prestigious award last year by finishing just behind the winner, the winger PSG, Ousmane Dembelein the votes.
Flick also recalled that “there are many world-class players on the list and it is not easy” to win it, before admitting that he will be “very happy” when this race for the award ends on October 26.
Happy for the city
The Barça coach was also satisfied with the choice of the stadium Camp Nou as the venue for the final of the Champions in 2029.
“I will 100% be here… as a coach or as a Barça fan,” said Flick, whose contract ends in 2028.
“You never know what can happen. I’m enjoying being at Barcelona, coaching Barcelona, it’s a fantastic team, but in the end you never know,” he concluded.
