Yamal receives major Ballon d'Or backing from Neymar

Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal has received a major endorsement in his pursuit of the Ballon d'Or after former Blaugrana star Neymar labeled him the "best in the world" on social media. The Brazilian shared a statistical graphic comparing the Spain international's current form with his own stellar 2017/18 campaign at Paris Saint-Germain.

The graphic highlighted the highest average match ratings across Europe's top leagues since the 2015/16 season. Yamal holds an 8.61 average rating across his first 10 appearances of the 2026/27 campaign, registering eight goals and nine assists. In comparison, Neymar posted an 8.81 rating during the 2017/18 season, when he notched 25 goals and 16 assists in 27 matches for PSG.

Neymar tagged the young Spaniard in the post, adding the short caption: "Best in the world." Yamal was quick to acknowledge the compliment from one of his footballing idols, sharing the story to his own account with a red heart emoji. The interaction underlines the mutual respect between the two attackers, coming as Yamal continues to dazzle for both Barcelona and Spain.