'Greatest moral harm' - Lamine Yamal's father slams Ousmane Dembele's 'strange' Ballon d'Or victory & insists Barcelona wonderkid is 'by far the best player in the world' in furious rant

The global elite descended on Theatre du Chatelet in Paris for a glitzy ceremony that honoured the great and good of the men’s and women’s game - with top teams, coaches, goalkeepers and young players landing major prizes.

Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for a second successive year, with the teen sensation continuing to enjoy a meteoric rise, but PSG forward Dembele walked away with the ultimate prize and etched his name into the history books.

Time is still very much on Yamal’s side when it comes to collecting a Ballon d’Or of his own, with some having already tipped him to better Lionel Messi’s record-shattering haul of eight Golden Balls.

Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, told El Chiringuito of his son being overlooked on this occasion: “I think this is the greatest harm, I wouldn't say theft, but moral harm caused to a human being, because I believe that Lamine Yamal is by far the best player in the world, and by far the one who makes a lot of difference. Not because he's my son, but because he's the best player in the world. I think there is no rival, Lamine Yamal is Lamine Yamal. It must be said that something very strange has happened here. Greetings to all of Spain, and next year it will be a Spanish ball.”

Barcelona boast a rich history when it comes to Ballon d’Or winners, having seen Messi, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo scoop that accolade down the years. It is considered to be only a matter of time before Yamal joins that star-studded roll of honour.