The prestigious Laureus Awards 2025 ceremony, held in Spain’s capital, celebrated both rising talent and footballing excellence, with FC Barcelona’s prodigy Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid taking top honors.
Despite a challenging current season, Real Madrid was recognized for its remarkable achievements from the 2024–2025 campaign. The Spanish giants were named Team of the Year, thanks to their 15th UEFA Champions League title and Liga triumph, cementing their place in football history.
But the spotlight wasn’t solely on Los Blancos.
At just 17 years old, Lamine Yamal continued his meteoric rise by earning the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award. Already a European champion with Spain and a key figure at Barcelona, the young winger adds this global accolade to his growing list of honors, which includes the recent Kopa Trophy.
This victory comes 19 years after Rafael Nadal—then 19 years old himself—received the same honor. In a poetic twist, Nadal, now retired, was also celebrated at the event, receiving the Laureus Sports Icon Award. It was a symbolic passing of the torch, linking two generations of Spanish sporting greatness.
Interestingly, Yamal and Real Madrid will face each other again soon—this time on the pitch—as Barcelona and Madrid prepare to clash in a highly anticipated Copa del Rey final in Seville this Saturday. With tensions and expectations running high, the awards may just be a prelude to another epic encounter.
