Hansi Flick dropped the hedging on Friday. On the eve of Barcelona’s La Liga meeting with Getafe, the German manager was asked about Yamal and told reporters the teenager “will be the best player in the world, if he isn’t already”.

Flick framed the praise around attitude rather than output.

“With his attitude, his mentality, his will to improve every day… that is the right mentality,” he told reporters at the pre-match press conference.

He added that what he had seen in Yamal’s first eight games for club and country was “incredible”.

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Yamal has started the 2026-27 season like a player trying to settle the Ballon d’Or argument before the envelope is opened. He has eight goals and six assists through his first eight appearances for Barcelona across all competitions. He also leads the squad in minutes played, 55 ahead of captain Raphinha.

26 October at the London Palladium

The Ballon d’Or will be awarded at the London Palladium on 26 October, the first time since 2019 the ceremony has moved away from Paris.

Yamal finished second behind Ousmane Dembélé in the 2025 vote. In an interview last month he framed this year as a two-man race between himself and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, telling reporters: “I would deserve it because of what I’ve won”.

Flick confirmed Yamal will be in the starting line-up when Barcelona host Getafe at Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday, with kick-off at 6:30pm local time. The winger returns from a Spain international window in which he scored in the 3-1 Nations League win over Czechia on 3 October.

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