{
  "id": 10887715,
  "title": "Lamine Yamal receives huge Ballon d’Or backing from Spain teammate Nico Williams: ‘Anyone who understands football…’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/lamine-yamal-receives-huge-ballon-dor-backing-from-spain-teammate",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-30T07:20:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lamine-yamal-receives-huge-ballon-072000824.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has received strong support from his Spain teammate Nico Williams to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. Yamal showcased his exceptional talent once again in Spain’s 4-1 victory over Croatia, scoring an early goal just 75 seconds into the match. His impressive performances have further solidified his case for the award, even though the voting for the accolade has already concluded.\n\nNico Williams, who also scored against Croatia, expressed his confidence in Yamal's abilities, stating that anyone familiar with football would recognize that Yamal deserves the Ballon d’Or. Williams, whose friendship with Yamal extends beyond the pitch, encourages the young player to focus on enjoying the game and let the award come naturally. In one amusing incident, Yamal pranked his teammate by filming a sweaty armpit moment and sharing it on Instagram, tagging the deodorant brand AXE. The light-hearted exchange has garnered attention from fans, highlighting the strong bond between Yamal and Williams both on and off the field.",
  "summary": "Nico Williams has backed his close friend Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d’Or after the Barcelona forward produced another outstanding performance for Spain.Yamal scored inside 75 seconds during Spa...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "England break down stubborn Czechs to claim first Nations League win",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/england-break-down-stubborn-czechs-to-claim-first-nations-league-win",
        "published": "2026-09-30T03:24:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}