Barcelona's Lamine Yamal Wins Laureus Breakthrough Award

Barcelona youngster, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, earned another recognition on Monday, winning the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award at the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards.

Yamal has emerged as a vital player for both Barcelona and the Spanish national team, showcasing an impressive season for the Catalan club with six goals and twelve assists in La Liga, in addition to three goals in the Champions League. He also contributed significantly to Spains victory in the UEFA European Championship, where he was honoured as the Young Player of the Tournament.

Due to Barcelonas La Liga match against RCD Mallorca, which was set to take place less than 24 hours after the Madrid event on Monday night, Yamal was unable to attend the Laureus Awards in person. Nevertheless, he expressed his thanks through a video message.

The Laureus Awards, renowned for honouring excellence across various sports, recognised Yamal against a competitive group of nominees that included athletes like Julien Alfred athletics, Summer McIntosh swimming, Letsile Tebogo athletics, Victor Wembanyama basketball, and the German football club Bayer Leverkusen.

The prestigious event also acknowledged other sports legends, with Swedish pole vault star Mondo Duplantis being named Sportsman of the Year. American gymnastics legend Simone Biles won the title of Sportswoman of the Year.