With each passing day, Barcelona manage to uncover even more gems from the youth factory that is La Masia. From forwards to midfielders and beyond, the quality that the club’s youth academy and teams continue to develop is outstanding. However, even from among the very best, Barcelona can sometimes find invaluable treasure.
That is one of the ways to describe what it feels like to see a supernatural talent like Lamine Yamal emerge from the club’s youth academy. Despite being just 17 years old, the young winger has already left behind debates that compared him to the most talented of youngsters, and is now directly competing against the very best that football has to offer irrespective of age.
Yet, at the same time, it must not be forgotten that Yamal is still just a teenage sensation. In terms of his age group, he simply exceeds all pre-existing precedents and established limits. For that reason, the fact that he won this year’s Golden Boy award was a rather unsurprising revelation.
Now, after having been officially announced as the winner of the award, the player even spoke out himself. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, the young Barcelona forward made sure to highlight the importance and value this award has for him, while making sure to thank the people who supported him:
“For me, it’s an honor to win this trophy. I’m very happy, and it’s a dream come true. Above all, I want to thank the jury members, Tuttosport, and the fans who voted for me to win this award.”
He also made sure to remember his coaches, teammates, and spoke briefly about all that his club and country have already achieved this year so far, while ending his message by claiming that is now ‘aiming for even more’ beyond this award:
“I don’t want to forget my teammates, my coaches, and the staff at both Barça and the Spanish national team. This year has been incredible, and it’s ending just as incredibly. I’m very happy, and I’m aiming for even more.”
For now, he continues to work on recovering his best sensations ahead of the La Liga clash against Las Palmas. He is currently expected to be included in the squad for that game and is focusing on taking things one step at a time as he continues to train with the rest of his teammates at a steady pace.