Lamine Yamal breaks silence after third-place Ballon d'Or finish
Lamine Yamal finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting behind Kylian Mbappé and winner Harry Kane, marking his second consecutive defeat in the prestigious award race. The 19-year-old FC Barcelona forward did win the Kopa Trophy for best young player for the third straight year. Yamal's disappointment followed a difficult week that included a 4-2 Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain and a 1-2 Clasico defeat to Real Madrid. Barcelona president Joan Laporta expressed sympathy, saying the club believes Yamal deserved the award for his individual talent and titles won. Breaking his silence on Instagram, Yamal wrote that good things take time and expressed confidence his moment will come. He congratulated the winners and said he is focusing on helping Barcelona return to winning ways.