Joan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, expressed his pride in what the club's stars presented during the Ballon d'Or 2025 ceremony in Paris, despite young star Lamine Yamal losing the Ballon d'Or to Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain.

Laporta said: "We hoped Lamine would win the Ballon d'Or, but this will be a motivation for him to continue working and improving. I am happy with the ceremony; there were many candidates from Barcelona, and we have winners of awards as well. Lamine winning the Kopa Trophy for the second time was very remarkable."

Regarding the atmosphere at the moment of announcing the winner between Dembélé and Lamine, he added: "Yes, there was a lot of tension, especially with the Paris Saint-Germain fans cheering for Ousmane, while Barcelona supporters chanted Lamine's name. But this is part of the passion of football."

He continued: "We came here to win, and if that doesn't happen, at least we are proud that we were candidates and competing among the best. Winning the Champions League always gives a greater boost to achieve individual awards. We are also proud of Vicky Lopez, who won an award as well."

Laporta concluded: "I am very happy and proud of our players. We came with a strong delegation to represent Barcelona, and I am also grateful for Hansi Flick's presence; he is a coach who never stops working. For me, Lamine Yamal is the best in the world; he is a genius player, and I am completely confident that he will win the Ballon d'Or in the future."