Monday night was special for Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal as it saw him officially crowned as the new Golden Boy in football, following the footsteps of his teammates Gavi and Pedri.
The youngster, after all, has been in sensational form for both club and country and has left the world stunned with his skill and maturity at the tender age of 17.
Yamal had received the trophy on Sunday, before the game against Leganes, as he was unable to travel to Turin to receive the award in person.
But he did attend the gala via video conferencing to give his acceptance speech, share his happiness and deliver his message of gratitude.
Words from the best
The celebration in Turin was a big moment for Barcelona as the club bagged both the Golden Boy and Golden Girl awards with Barça Femeni’s Vicky Lopez taking home the latter.
To add to the occasion, Barcelona legend and the best player in the world, Lionel Messi, penned a congratulatory message to Yamal and Vicky on his social media.
“Lamine, Vicky: this award is the result not only of talent but of hard work and sacrifice. It is a pride that they are part of Messi+10. Congratulations and keep it up!” he wrote via Instagram.
After a long silence after his departure from the club, Lionel Messi has been more vocal about his love for Barcelona in recent months and even gave a detailed interview about his plans to return to Catalonia in the later years of his life.
Notably, however, in one similar interview, he was asked about the Barcelona player who reminded him the most of himself and he did not hesitate in naming Yamal, the Golden Boy.
“Well, I heard about Yamal without a doubt. It depends on him and other things as well to be consistent. But he is already part of the present and there is no doubt that he has a huge future ahead of him.”
Needless to say, these are big words coming from the best to have ever played the sport.