Chelsea star amazed by Barcelona’s Ballon d’Or hopeful – ‘Stopping him is very difficult’ | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal continues to garner praise from all quarters after enjoying a simply spectacular campaign, in which he helped Barcelona win La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup.

The 17-year-old wonderkid’s performances this season have put him in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or this year along with his teammates Pedri and Raphinha as well as PSG and France winger Ousmane Dembele.

Marc Cucurella showers praise on Lamine

With Dembele and Yamal set to face off this week in the UEFA Nations League semi-final clash between France and Spain, the teenager’s international teammate and Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has heaped praise on him.

Cucurella opened up on how the Barcelona wonderkid can be very unpredictable on the field thanks to his skills, making him very hard to defend against.

“Honestly, it’s very difficult to defend against Lamine Yamal in training, and the worst thing is that the coach often puts him against me,” said the Chelsea full-back.

Ballon d’Or winner? (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

“My first thought is not to hurt him but stopping him is very difficult because he has a lot of skills and you can never predict what he will do.”

When asked about the Ballon d’Or race, Cucurella spoke out in support of the teenage sensation, saying:

“The race for the Ballon d’Or is very close. Lamine’s chances were slightly affected by not participating in the Champions League final, especially with Paris winning the tournament, but for me, he is a strong candidate, we will see what happens.”

Cucurella, a former La Masia trainee, also commented on Barcelona’s excellent season under Hansi Flick, which ended with them winning a domestic treble.

“Few people expected this Barcelona performance. They made us enjoy and they deserved to reach the Champions League final. Sometimes football is unfair, but they have a bright future,” he noted.

Source: YouTube/SEFutbol