Lamine Yamal tipped to win Ballon d'Or by Luis de la Fuente after 'statement' performance in Spain's UEFA Nations League win over France

Spain beat France 5-4 to reach the final of the UEFA Nations League, where they will meet Portugal. The pre-match build-up was dominated by the personal battle between Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele, who are leading candidates for this year's Ballon d'Or. Yamal shone with two goals and a player of the match performance to make himself the frontrunner for the trophy in his manager's eyes.

'He has it all' - Yamal backed to become a 'football legend' by De La Fuente

Video credit: TNT Sports

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said Lamine Yamal’s "statement" performance in their 5-4 UEFA Nations League semi-final win against France puts him in pole position to win the Ballon d’Or.

The 17-year-old - who would smash the record for the youngest recipient of the trophy should he win it - scored twice in the victory, which sets up a final showdown with Portugal.

Brazil’s Ronaldo was 21 years old when he won the Ballon d’Or in 1997, and is still the youngest to have picked up the prize.

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In the build-up to the match in Stuttgart, much of the focus had been on Yamal and French forward Ousmane Dembele, with the Ballon d’Or frontrunners given the opportunity to go head-to-head in a bid to stake a claim for the trophy.

With Yamal coming out on top on Thursday evening, De la Fuente told RTVE: "Lamine Yamal has made a statement tonight and shown that he should win the Ballon d'Or.

"He's the best player in the world and, in my opinion, of course, he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or.

"On the field, there were two of the best teams in the world. The game went in our favour.

"It's not easy to score five goals against an opponent. We took our chances very well. It shows the high level of the players."

Yamal scored from the penalty spot and prodded home a second to give Spain a 5-1 lead - before France fought back valiantly, but to no avail.

"I always say the same thing to [my] mum, that I try to give my all," Yamal told RTVE after the match.

"That is what motivates me and what gets me up in the morning. It is why I play football. It's always best to speak on the pitch.

Asked about his individual rivalry with France’s No. 7, Yamal said: "Dembele's a great player, we saw that in the UEFA Champions League, but I am happy that we're the ones in the final."

Flick: What 'genius' Yamal is doing at 17 years old is unbelievable

Video credit: SNTV

Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] president Rafael Louzan had his say on Yamal’s stratospheric rise in the game, and is excited to see how far he can go.

"It's not just the two goals, it's everything he does," Louzan said of his performance.

"Everything he does surprises you again and again. He still has a long way to go, too, and I hope they give him the prize he deserves, the Ballon d'Or."

Despite all the noise surrounding him and the talk of him winning football’s biggest individual accolade, Yamal has remained grounded and is concentrating on successfully delivering a team prize for his country first.

"It will be an even final against Portugal, just like this game. They have world-class players like France.

"It's a game between two really good sides and I hope the best team wins and we take the trophy back to Spain."

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