Over the last few months, Barcelona fans have been singing the praises of Lamine Yamal, fuelling an ambitious media campaign around their young prodigy. But last Friday in Dubai, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr brought the Catalan fans face to face with a harder truth to accept. The Blaugrana star was even surprised.

For some time now, Barça have been trying to mask their difficulties by focusing attention on the emergence of individual talent. Lamine Yamal, a promising young striker, has become their figurehead. Although there is no doubting his qualities, this strategy is not working in his favour.

Indeed, at the Globe Soccer Awards gala on Friday, Real Madrid eclipsed their eternal rivals. The Madrid club won several major awards: best club, coach, president, striker and player. The triumph also saw Jude Bellingham named winner of the Maradona Award, reserved for young talent.

The young England international midfielder, who is still considered a promising prospect despite his early maturity, beat out Lamine Yamal in this category. Over the years, Jude Bellingham has proved his superiority thanks to his remarkable performances for club and country. Last season, he made his mark by finishing as Real Madrid’s second-highest scorer. He helped the club win La Liga and the Champions League in his first season at the Bernabeu, and with England he lost out to Lamine Yamal’s La Roja in the final of Euro 2024.

Lamine Yamal upset by Jude Bellingham’s victory

At the Globe Soccer Awards gala on Friday, the cameras zoomed in on Lamine Yamal when Jude Bellingham was named winner in the best young player of the year category. The Barcelona prodigy was convinced he was going to win the trophy when he made the trip. His recent victory at the Ballon d’Or Gala, where he lifted the Kopa trophy, and his success at the Golden Boy awards gave him confidence that he would win the Globe Soccer Awards.

But to his surprise, it was Jude Bellingham, who had a fantastic season with Real Madrid, winning almost everything in Spain and Europe, who was named the winner of the best young player of the season award. Automatically, Lamine Yamal’s face changes and the Barcelona star reveals his huge disappointment to the Cameras. ‘I know I’m at the best club in the world. I want to keep winning with this generation. It’s a long season, and we have time to improve,’ said Jude Bellingham in his speech after being named the winner.

While Bellingham shone, the real star of the evening was Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian won the awards for best player and best striker. He confirmed his status as one of Real Madrid’s key players. These awards have calmed the debate surrounding the Ballon d’Or, a distinction that many feel he was unfairly denied. Cristiano Ronaldo himself was quick to criticise the awarding process, saying Vinicius deserved better.

Lamine Yamal may represent the future, but he has yet to prove his consistency at the highest level. Barcelona will have to overcome their illusions and meet the structural challenges they face. Meanwhile, Real Madrid continue to dominate, buoyed by players like Bellingham and Vinicius, who embody both the present and the future of world football.