Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal gets surprise Ballon d'Or backing from Real Madrid legends Luis Figo & Sami Khedira

Yamal scored 18 goals and assisted 25 for Barcelona this season, aged just 17, as his side won the league and cup domestic double. Pushed on their choices to land the biggest individual accolade in world football, former Real Madrid stars Figo and Khedira nominated the youngster.

Speaking at the PlayStation House event in Munich on Saturday, Figo told GOAL: "If he continues working hard like he's doing and playing like this - in the future, for sure."

Khedira then claimed that Yamal was the best player in this season's Champions League, pushing him to the front of the queue for the Ballon d'Or.

Yamal's main contender for the award is expected to be Ousmane Dembele, who starred for European champions PSG. Their boss Luis Enrique has claimed Dembele should be the frontrunner.

Both Yamal and Dembele are set to feature for Spain in the Nations League semi-final between Spain and France on Thursday. The Barcelona winger can then take a long-awaited break, with his Barca side not involved in the Club World Cup.