Latest news with #LamineYamal
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
AI Predicts 2025 Ballon d'Or Winner: Shock Favorite Emerges
Dembélé leads the race, Lamine Yamal second — rest ruled out AI Predicts 2025 Ballon d'Or Winner: Shock Favorite Emerges A new AI powered forecast's revealed the latest projections for the 2025 Ballon d'or and the results are nothing short of surprising. Who'll Win the Golden Ball? According to football analytics platform Score 90, the battle for this year's Ballon d'or awarded annually by France Football is now down to two names only: Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint Germain) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) The AI model gave Dembele dominant 63% chance of lifting the prestigious trophy, far ahead of rising Spanish star Yamal who holds just 13%. All other top contenders have reportedly been eliminated from the statistical race. Ballon d'Or Ceremony Details France Football's officially announced that the 2025 Ballon d'Or gala will take place on Monday 22 Sep, in Paris. The event will be attended by global football icons, celebrities and international media.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch: Lamine Yamal pays Marcus Rashford tribute in Barcelona training
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal made use of the opportunity to pay tribute to new teammate Marcus Rashford on Wednesday. This came by way of a celebration after finding the net in training. Frontman Rashford is of course now settled into his new surroundings in Hansi Flick's Barcelona squad. After putting pen to paper on the terms of a season-long loan deal last week, the Englishman has since made the trip to Asia with his new teammates. Rashford was afforded his debut over the weekend, introduced off the bench during the Blaugrana's friendly meeting with Vissel Kobe. And as alluded to above, if the latest footage stemming from the club's training base in South Korea is anything to go by, then the attacker appears to be making a positive impression on those around him. As showcased below, after finding the net during a training session on Wednesday, Lamine Yamal broke out Rashford's trademark celebration: Conor Laird – GSFN
Forbes
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Could Lionel Messi Face Lamine Yamal On South American Soil In 2026?
March 2026 could see Lionel Messi and South American champion Argentina take on Lamine Yamal and European champion Spain in the 'Finalissima' trophy. A 'Finalissima' For The Ages The 'Finalissima' is a one-off soccer match between the champion of Europe and the champion of South America. At the moment those teams are Spain, for its 2024 European triumph, and Argentina, for its 2024 Copa America victory. Organizers have finally penciled in a preliminary date for this game. The March 2026 FIFA international break. This would be the perfect FIFA 2026 World Cup warm-up match, and perhaps it would determine who will be the favourite for next summer's big tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Veteran Lionel Messi still captains Argentina, and 18 year-old Lamine Yamal is the hero of the Spanish national team. Messi is a Barcelona legend, and Yamal is the future of the club, who has just inherited the legendary number 10 jersey that Messi used to wear. These players represent so much in global soccer, and this could be the first and only time that they share the field. Where Will The Finalissima Be Played? Officials have not yet confirmed the location of the Finalissima match. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, England and Uruguay have all registered interest in hosting the event according to TYC Sports in Argentina. Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup when Argentina won the title and Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup. England, and Wembley stadium in particular, has hosted three Champions League finals since 2011. It also hosted the 'Euro 2020' Final in 2021 and the last version of the Finalissima, which took place in 2022. Argentina defeated Italy 3-0 that day. Montevideo, Uruguay is a romantic option for this fixture. The historic Estadio Centenario hosted the 1930 World Cup final when Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2. That was the first ever World Cup final. What's more, the stadium is set to close its doors for refurbishment ahead of hosting just one game at the start of the FIFA 2030 World Cup, to celebrate the centenary of the biggest tournament in international sports. Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will host the majority of the 2030 tournament. However Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina will all host one game each to kick-off the tournament in homage to the World Cup that took place on South American soil in 1930. The Finalissima could be the last match Uruguay stages at the Estadio Centenario before it closes to prepare for the next World Cup. When you consider that Uruguay and South America didn't win the bid to host the FIFA 2030 World Cup in its entirety, perhaps this would be a nice token. Europe hosted the last version of the Finalissima, so it seems fair that South America could host the event this time. Will There Definitely Be A Finalissima? There is an important caveat to this discussion. Teams can only play the Finalissima during the international window that falls between March 23rd and 31st, 2026. It's the only space in the calendar, so Argentina and Spain need to be available to play, but the European champion might still be playing World Cup qualifying fixtures. Argentina have already qualified for next summer's tournament, but Spain is just about to begin its FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying group. If Spain finish top of the group it will qualify automatically for the World Cup in November 2025. However if Spain fails to finish top of the group and enters the European World Cup play-offs, Spain will not be available to play the Finalissima in March 2026. Organizers can agree on a venue and date in principle, but until Spain finishes its FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers in November nothing can be guaranteed. What is certain is that if this game goes ahead it will be a monumental occasion in international football. Seeing Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal on the same pitch would be historic. If South America hosts the game, fans will elevate the vibrancy, passion, and noise around the fixture to a whole new level.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Désiré Doué vs Lamine Yamal: The Ivorian picks the best
Désiré Doué vs Lamine Yamal Recently, Désiré Doué, reigning European champion after lifting the Champions League trophy with PSG, boldly claimed to be better than Lamine Yamal. While competing with Ousmane Dembélé, Lamine Yamal could become the youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history. Having already secured the Golden Boy award, the Spanish prodigy won't be eligible for the trophy this year as he's already claimed it last season. The frontrunner to succeed him is Désiré Doué. The Ivorian midfielder left a lasting impression during the recent Champions League final. In recent hours, a viral video on social media has sparked debate as Doué was asked to compare himself directly with Lamine Yamal. Asked who was the better of the two, he replied without hesitation: "It's me." The message couldn't be clearer.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola declares sabbatical, rules out Barcelona return
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has declared that he will not be taking a new job immediately after his spell at the Etihad comes to an end. Guardiola has now been in charge for nine years in the North of England, but acknowledged that he was in need of a break. Guardiola took the job in 2016, and will complete a decade in the job at the end of the coming season. The 54-year-old has won six Premier Leagues, a success rate of 67%, and has managed 533 games, and has two years remaining on his deal. Speaking to GQ Hype, as quoted by MD, Guardiola said the decision to take a sabbatical thereafter was taken. 'I know that after this stage with City I'm going to stop, that's for sure, it's decided, more than decided. I'm going to leave after this stage with City, because I need to stop and focus on myself, on my body.' Guardiola has previously taken a sabbatical between his jobs at Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the 2012-13 season. Image via Sport 'I think I knew how to stop at the right moment. The same thing happened to me with my coaching job [at Barça], there came a time when I said enough, enough is enough. I'm going to look for another challenge.' 'Stop comparing Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi' – Guardiola With Lamine Yamal's explosion at such a young age, and little like it having been seen before, his position and circumstances have led to comparisons with the great Lionel Messi. Guardiola believed those comparisons premature. 'I think Lamine Yamal should be allowed to pursue his career. And when he's been playing for fifteen years, we'll decide if he's better or worse. Let him pursue his career. The fact that they compare him to Messi is a big deal. It's like comparing a painter to Van Gogh. They'll say, 'Wow, he's not bad, that's a sign he's good'.' Image via FC Barcelona 'That's 90 goals in one season, over 15 years, nonstop, without injury. That's a big deal. Leave him alone. Leave him alone.' Barcelona return ruled out for Guardiola Guardiola also rejected the idea of returning to Barcelona. While he has always stated that he will not return as manager, there has been some suggestion he could return as president or sporting director, something he also discarded. 'It's over. It's over forever. It was really lovely, but it's over now. No, I'm not cut out for that [to be president].'
