Lamine Yamal's mentality will carry him to 'many' Ballons d'Or as Gavi says Barcelona co-star is 'getting better every day'

Barcelona midfielder Gavi has absolutely no qualms about Yamal lifting "many" Ballons d'Or in the future, asserting that the young winger will not be bogged down if he loses out on the prestigious individual accolade this year, thanks to his mentality.

Yamal had a breathtaking 2024-25 campaign and transcended into one of the best players in the world, helping the Catalans win La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana. He was simply unstoppable in the latter stages of the Champions League, too, although he couldn't prevent his side from losing to Inter in the semi-final. All in all, Yamal scored 21 goals and delivered 25 assists for both club and country, staking his claim as one of the favourites for this year's Ballon d'Or.

Speaking to AS, Gavi said: "I hope he wins. If he doesn't this year, he's 18 and very young. Being among the favourites is something unique. I'm happy with what he's doing with us.

"He's an incredible player. He's getting better every day. He's amazing in training. He has to keep going like this, with that mentality, and I'm sure that if he doesn't win the Ballon d'Or this year, he'll win many in the future."

Barcelona will play their final pre-season game of the Asia tour on August 4 against Daegu FC. Then, they will return to Spain and face Como in the Joan Gamper Trophy game, before kicking off their La Liga campaign away at Mallorca on August 16.