FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal doesn't hide his ambition to win the coveted Balon d'Or award for the best player in the world, but says his first ambition is to help his club win titles.

"The first thing is for Barca to win titles, and everything else will follow," said Yamal in an interview with Spanish sports paper, Diario AS, adding the Balon d'Or was "something that usually comes with team titles."

Lamine Yamal (L) of FC Barcelona vies with Adria Pedrosa of Sevilla FC during a La Liga football match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC in Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo by Joan Gosa/Xinhua)

He said winning the "Champions League with Barca and the World Cup with Spain" were his "two biggest dreams."

The youngster predicted a close battle in the closing weeks against Real Madrid.

"It's nearly always Barca-Madrid at the end of the day. Atletico (Madrid) make it difficult and I'm not giving them up as finished yet, but at the end it's always (Real) Madrid and Barca who are left, and the same in the Copa del Rey and Champions League," he commented.

Yamal also spoke about his special affinity for the Champions League, where Barcelona plays against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals.

"It's a competition that has captivated me since I heard the Champions League anthem on TV when I was a child. Imagine coming home late on a Tuesday after training with the youth team, turning on the TV with my parents, and watching the European Cup. It's something very special," said Yamal, who was reluctant to talk about negotiations over his new contract, with his current deal due to expire at the end of June 2026.

"I don't think anyone is thinking about that at the moment: we're all focused on finishing the season with titles, we are in the decisive stretch of the season, and that's all I'm thinking about. I won't talk about the (contract) renewal until the end of the season," assured Yamal.

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