Lamine Yamal addressed his Ballon d’Or hopes, entering Barcelona’s captaincy group at the age of just 19 and Champions League ambitions ahead of his side getting their league phase campaign underway.Yamal was speaking to the media at a press conference for the first time since the World Cup semi-finals to preview Barcelona’s Champions League opener against Feyenoord on Wednesday.Having won every honour at international level after this summer’s World Cup triumph, which followed Spain’s European Championship success in 2024, in addition to every domestic trophy on offer in Spain, the Champions League remains the biggest prize Yamal is yet to lift. Barcelona made no secret of their desire to win the competition for the first time since 2015 last season, and Yamal reiterated that ambition this term.“There’s no greater motivation than winning the Champions League,” he said. “Everyone wants it; it’s the most special competition. Great players have competed in it.”Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick confirmed his new choice of captains for the 2026-27 campaign on Saturday following the departures of Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ronald Araujo this summer. Raphinha has been selected as the new captain, while Yamal has been added to the leadership group.“Being captain of Barca is a dream,” he said. “I’m grateful to my teammates. It makes me more responsible.”He continued: “Raphinha is a spectacular captain. Or Pedri or Eric (Garcia). The team has treated me spectacularly. As captain, I’ll give everything for the team.”Yamal was speaking on the day the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or are announced with the Spain international expected to be among the contenders, having finished as runner up last year.He acknowledged he had enjoyed another successful year but insisted he did not need to “campaign” for the accolade.“It doesn’t depend on me — it depends on you all. I have a good chance because I’ve had a great year, but we’ll see,” Yamal added.“I don’t think I need to campaign for the Ballon d’Or. I’m proud of the year I’ve had with my team and the national team. I can’t ask for more. I’m not going to start begging for anything.”Yamal has praised Raphinha’s captaincy. (David Ramos/Getty Images)He also laughed off comments made by Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele’s earlier on Tuesday after the Paris Saint-Germain forward did not name him in his top three for this year’s award.Dembele, speaking to the Ballon d’Or’s official media channels, listed PSG team-mate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, France team-mate Kylian Mbappe and England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane as his chosen three.Asked about Dembele’s choices, Yamal replied with a laugh: “He’s friends with Kylian. I don’t care. I’m happy with the year I’ve had.“Whenever I’ve faced both of them, I’ve won. They must have taken a dislike to me for some reason. He has to put someone in; that’s normal. I get along very well with Ousmane. I’m happy with the year I’ve had.”The view from the roomBy Laia Cervello HerreroYou can imagine what it feels like to be Lamine Yamal’s opponent on the pitch after attending his press conference. After 20 minutes of answering every question with a nonchalant demeanour but packing a punch with every sentence, many journalists were left thinking: “A 19-year-old has just shown us all up.”He commands the stage; perhaps that’s why, despite not yet being 20, he has appeared at more Champions League pre-match press conferences than many players have by the end of their careers.He didn’t hold back in the run-up to the second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semi-finals in Milan, nor did he last season ahead of the second leg of the quarter-finals against Atlético Madrid, when they had to stage a comeback, nor has he done so now ahead of a Champions League campaign that Barcelona are obsessed with winning.Today he made a clear statement: “I’m still just a boy,” he said, whilst repeating several times that he was only 19. He didn’t seem it when he subtly used irony to answer questions designed to make headlines. In a way, he cleverly hinted at things between the lines, saying little yet revealing a great deal.He was asked what he thought about Ousmane Dembele not having voted for him among the top three players for the Ballon d’Or. “He’s a friend of Kylian’s (Mbappé), isn’t he?”Nor did he want to campaign for the individual trophy, aware that his past season was good enough to win it. “I’m not going to beg for the Ballon d’Or,” he said. “I know I have a chance of winning it — we’ll see.”