Official: Lamine Yamal becomes youngest-ever Ballon d’Or nominee, Olmo also in the mix

It is that time of the year again when France Football rolls out the nominations for various awards at the Ballon d’Or Gala for 2024.

With Barcelona going trophy-less last season, the Catalans are not well-placed to win any of the accolades barring the Kopa Trophy. However, that does not go on to say that players of the Blaugrana institution were not nominated for various categories.

Two Barcelona stars in the fray

Two Barcelona stars have made the cut to be included in the race for the individual accolade.

Considering that the club did not win any silverware or earn any notable finish across competitions, both nominees have been selected primarily based on their international success and are thus members of the Spanish national team that won Euro 2024.

The first player to be nominated is the team’s youngest attacking phenom, Lamine Yamal, who also features on the list of nominees for the Kopa Trophy.

To earn a Ballon d’Or nomination playing most of the season as a 16-year-old is simply unheard of, and Yamal is now the youngest ever player to secure the same.

The second Barcelona star nominated for the prestigious award is Dani Olmo who arrived only earlier this summer. He was the top-scorer at Euro 2024 and an integral part of Luis de La Fuente’s squad.

Notably, Pedri, who Olmo replaced in the team, has no place on the nominations as his injury cut short his campaign in Germany in the latter stages of the tournament.

Other nominations for Barcelona

Apart from the men’s nominees for the Ballon d’Or, Barcelona Femeni saw a lot of joy as several players have been nominated for the Women’s Ballon d’Or.

Indeed, Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen, Patricia Guijarro, Salma Paralluelo, Alexia Putellas, Mariona Caldentey, and Ewa Pajor, along with former star Lucy Bronze.

In addition, Barça Femeni were also nominated for the Women’s Club of the Year honour.

Meanwhile, Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal find themselves in the running for the 2024 Kopa Trophy.