18 Years Old and (Naturally!) Crowned Spain's Best Player

It's hardly a shock, but now it's official: Lamine Yamal has been crowned the best player in the Spanish league, fending off competition from Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Vedat Muriqi (Mallorca), Nicolas Pepé (Villarreal), and Pablo Fornals (Betis), who were also nominated.

The 18-year-old Barcelona prodigy succeeds Raphinha, who claimed the award last season and was instrumental in the Catalan giants' title triumph, notably contributing 16 goals and 12 assists across 28 appearances.

It's worth remembering that Yamal concluded the season sidelined with an injury, missing the final matches due to a muscle tear in his left thigh. This injury even casts doubt on his availability for the Spanish national team's World Cup opener.