Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal showed his lighter side after the Ballon d’Or gala by buying midnight hamburgers for team-mates and friends, while president Joan Laporta admitted he even tried pressing Ronaldinho and Andres Iniesta to reveal the winner. Yamal may have fallen short, but his Kopa Trophy joy kept spirits high as Ousmane Dembele took home the big prize instead.
Midnight feast after Ballon d’Or gala
Fresh from finishing runner-up in the Ballon d’Or and securing his second consecutive Kopa Trophy, 18-year-old Lamine Yamal capped a memorable night in Paris by surprising the Barcelona expedition with hamburgers. With the squad starving after the ceremony, the youngster made sure nobody returned home hungry.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportLaporta on Yamal’s joy and secret hunt for the winner
Laporta described the moment in detail during an interview with , saying the teenager was in high spirits despite missing out on the Ballon d’Or crown.
"Lamine was very happy, joking around after the gala. He brought us all hamburgers at midnight after the gala, because we hadn't eaten anything and were all very hungry," he said. [Pau] Cubarsi, some other friends, and he brought us those hamburgers. They were very good, by the way."
The Barca president also revealed his determination to uncover the Ballon d’Or result beforehand: "We didn't know who the winner was. We spoke to everyone and asked if they knew who won: [Andres] Iniesta, Ronaldinho, [UEFA president Aleksander] Ceferin… Nobody knew. Not even the highest-ranking officials in France, whom we also asked."
Yamal’s maturity shines despite Ballon d’Or setback
Yamal had been being tipped by many to win the award, including his father Mounir Nasraoui, who branded Dembele’s Ballon d’Or win as the “greatest moral harm”. Instead, he became the first to took home the prize for the best player aged 21 and under for a second time, beating Paris Saint-Germain duo Desire Doue and Joao Neves to the award this time around.
AFPBarcelona's focus shifts back to domestic action
The Catalan giants return to action with a midweek clash against Real Oviedo before hosting Real Sociedad at the weekend. With Yamal sidelined through injury, the Blaugrana will be hoping their teenage star can recover in time for the decisive Champions League showdown with PSG.