Lamine Yamal to fly to London by private jet for Ballon d'Or gala

Lamine Yamal will travel to London next Monday on a private jet to attend the Ballon d'Or gala, scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m. at the London Palladium Theatre. The Barcelona winger has organized the trip with his family, friends and closest circle, including the team from his representation agency. After leaving Paris empty-handed a year ago, the Spanish international now believes he has a stronger chance of being crowned the best player in the world.

• Lamine Yamal has booked a private jet to fly to London with his closest circle.
• The flight leaves mid-morning and the gala starts at 9:00 p.m. local time.
• Joan Laporta will lead a large Barcelona delegation at the event.
• The Barça player is also the top contender to win the Best Young Player award for a third time.
• Barcelona will be named best women's club and Pere Romeu is the favorite for best women's coach.

A trip designed to celebrate without limits

The Barcelona forward does not want to leave anything to chance this time. A year ago he arranged a party in Paris in case he won the Ballon d'Or, but the trophy went to Ousmane Dembélé and Yamal had to leave the Théâtre du Châtelet that same night without celebrating. That experience has led him to plan a different kind of trip and surround himself with his people before even stepping inside the London venue.

The private flight is due to depart mid-morning bound for the British capital. On board will be his relatives, friends and the team that works with him at his agency. If the award finally comes, the celebration can last as long as needed without depending on the club's schedule or commercial flights.

Barcelona lands in London with all its nominees

Barcelona's delegation will be one of the largest at the gala. Joan Laporta will lead a group that includes other nominees for the various UEFA and France Football awards. Pau Cubarsí and Rodri Hernández, MVP of the last World Cup, compete for the men's Ballon d'Or alongside Lamine Yamal. In the women's category, Cata Coll, Esmee Brugts, Patri Guijarro, Caroline Graham Hansen, Claudia Pina and Ewa Pajor are all European champions. Alexia Putellas, a two-time winner now playing for London City Lionesses, is the clear favorite.

Lamine Yamal, a contender in every category in the West End

Beyond the main Ballon d'Or, the winger from Rocafonda is the leading candidate to win the Best Young Player award for a third time, a category in which he competes with Cubarsí. In the women's version of that prize, Vicky López starts ahead of Clara Serrajordi. Barcelona's presence in the predictions is overwhelming in almost every category.

UEFA-backed awards and a dominant Barcelona

The London gala is the 70th edition of the award presented by France Football, which has been organized together with UEFA for the past three years. The prize list has expanded well beyond the Ballon d'Or: goalkeepers, coaches and clubs now have their own categories. Joan Garcia and Cata Coll are on the best goalkeepers list. Pere Romeu, head coach of Barcelona's women's first team, is the main candidate to be named best women's football coach. The Catalan club will also receive the award for best women's club.

Frequently asked questions about the 2025 Ballon d'Or gala