Lamine Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, has criticised the Ballon d'Or organisers after his son was beaten to the award by Ousmane Dembele. The PSG winger claimed the prestigious prize for the first time following a Champions League-winning campaign, while Yamal finished second in the voting after an impressive season with Barcelona.
Nasraoui initially appeared to accept the result, telling reporters outside the venue that 'next year it will be ours'. However, in a later interview with Spanish outlet El Chiringuito, he suggested an injustice had occurred, insisting that 'something strange' must have happened for Yamal not to win.
'I wouldn't say [it was a] robbery, but a moral prejudice to a human being because I think Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world by far, by very far,' Nasraoui said. 'It isn't because he is my son that he is the best player in the world; he doesn't have a rival. It's Lamine Yamal. Something very strange happened here.'
France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia has disclosed that Dembele won the Ballon d'Or by a substantial margin, with no other candidate coming close. 'There wasn't really a contest, Ousmane won it quite comfortably,' he said, adding that voting across all continents was heavily in favour of the Frenchman. The full voting breakdown will be published by France Football this weekend.
Dembele broke down in tears as he accepted the award, thanking his family and teammates in his victory speech. 'What I have just experienced is exceptional, I have no words for it,' he said. 'I want to thank PSG who came to get me in 2023. It's an incredible family. The president Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] is like a father to me.'
