Hansi Flick backs 'special' Lamine Yamal for Ballon d’Or as Barcelona star shatters Kylian Mbappe Champions League record

Barcelona kicked off their European campaign with a ruthless 5-1 victory over Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord at a rain-soaked Camp Nou. Stand-in centre-forward Raphinha led the charge with a well-taken brace, while summer arrivals Gabriel Jesus and Karim Adeyemi also found the net before Sem Steijn grabbed a late consolation for the visitors.

However, it was Yamal who stole the show by rewriting the continental history books. The 19-year-old provided two assists and curled in a stunning 77th-minute free-kick to reach 21 career Champions League goal involvements (11 goals, 10 assists). In doing so, he surpassed Mbappe's previous benchmark of 20 to claim the outright record for the most goal contributions by a teenager in the competition.

At 19 years and 58 days, the Spanish international also became the youngest player to score a direct free-kick for a La Liga club on Europe's biggest stage, eclipsing former records held by Arda Guler and Sergio Aguero.

Following a stellar year for both club and country, Yamal was named on the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or earlier this week. Addressing the media after the Feyenoord rout, Flick insisted his young talisman is fully deserving of the sport's ultimate individual prize when the winner is announced in London next month.

"Of course, he's my player, a player from Barcelona," Flick told reporters. "He deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. For me, it's great. You can see in every game he's special. No one has this like him. I think he deserves it."

Raphinha also praised his teammate, revealing he had to actively keep the teenager motivated during the match. "I know when he's losing focus because things aren't going his way," the Brazilian captain explained. "I was trying to encourage him. I'm very happy he scored, I'm sure he needed that goal."

Flick's side have now scored 22 goals across their opening five matches of the new campaign, sparking fresh optimism that they can mount a serious challenge for a first Champions League crown since 2015.

The German tactician was particularly pleased with his squad's relentless pressing, though he was quick to remind his players that the season is a marathon rather than a sprint.

"I like a lot what I see, but also I see situations where we have to improve," Flick noted. "I am really happy about what my players are doing on the pitch, but you always can improve. There is a long way to the end. I think we are training really hard, really tough. Everyone has this hunger to improve... We need this intensity for our philosophy."

With their first three European points safely secured, Barcelona will instantly pivot back to domestic duties. The league leaders travel to face Levante this weekend, where they will look to extend their flawless Liga winning streak to five matches and consolidate their spot at the top of the table.