Lamine Yamal's Ballon d'Or dream boosted by bold Lionel Messi prediction

Lamine Yamal, the precocious 16-year-old Barcelona prodigy, must be on cloud nine after the endorsement of none other than Lionel Messi himself.

The Inter Miami star, who has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, once tipped Yamal as a future contender for the prestigious trophy.

In a post shared by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Messi highlighted several young talents that could dominate the Ballon d'Or race in the coming years, and Yamal's name was right up there alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Vinicius Jr.

For the young Spaniard, this must feel like a dream come true. Yamal, who only made his debut for Barcelona last season, has been making waves with his remarkable performances for the national team at the ongoing EURO 2024.

In five starts for La Roja, the talented teenager has scored one goal and provided three assists, helping his team reach the final against England.

The race for the 2024 Ballon d'Or is already shaping up to be a thrilling one, with teammate Vinicius Jr. and England's Jude Bellingham among the favourites.

The Brazilian and his English counterpart played decisive roles as Real Madrid dethroned Barcelona and Manchester City respectively to win the LaLIga and Champions League titles.

While Vinicius netted 24 goals and provided 11 assists in 39 games, Bellingham scored 23 goals and assisted 13 across all competitions in 42 matches.

But with Messi's endorsement from last season seemingly coming to pass, Lamine Yamal has firmly put his name on the map as a future superstar to watch out for.

The young Spaniard's dreams of lifting the Ballon d'Or one day just got a little closer to becoming a reality.