All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

What were you doing at 18 years old? Lamine Yamal is lighting up the world stage and gradually marching towards football’s throne left behind by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the most talented star that Barcelona’s La Masia academy has uncovered since Messi and could be about to use that stardom to move into a stunning £12.5m mansion.

It seems a matter of when and not if Yamal will win the Ballon d’Or. The teenager finished as high as second in the 2025 competition, with Ousmane Dembele’s Champions League win with Paris Saint-Germain enough to give him the edge.

In 2026, however, Yamal could become the youngest-ever player to win the coveted award. And if recent months are anything to go by, European football will be well aware of the winger’s place at the top.

He recently stole the headlines in controversial fashion once again. This time, it was rivals Real Madrid who were left angered when Yamal seemed to suggest that their players rob and moan ahead of the El Clasico. In the end, it was those at the Bernabeu who got the last laugh as Madrid secured a 2-1 victory and the teenager failed to score or assist.

Thrust into the headlines at just 18 years old, it’s no real surprise that Yamal hasn’t acted with the greatest maturity at times. Like most top players, that will come with age – especially under a manager like Hansi Flick.

In the meantime, the world will continue to stay at his feet and his €17m-a-year (£15m) pay cheque will continue to arrive as he sets his sights on a stunning mansion.

Inside Lamine Yamal's potential £12.5m mansion

In a recent Instagram post, Yamal seemed to confirm plans to buy a £12.5m mansion which was previously owned by popstar Shakira and former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. The stunning property initially featured three separate buildings when built in 2012, spreading across 3,800 square feet.

It included both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, private tennis courts and a recording studio used by Shakira, but has been up for sale since Pique and the singer split in 2022. Now, although one of the smaller buildings has been sold following an initial £12.5m market listing, Yamal could land the mansion for £9.5m.

Reports have suggested that the Barcelona star plans to move into the property with his cousin and a close friend, before renovating it to his own lifestyle.

Other reports have claimed that the mansion includes six bedrooms, five bathrooms and a view which looks over the Mediterranean. So, all in all, it’s fair to say that Yamal can’t have many complaints.

It’s another string to the bow of football’s next biggest star, who is wasting no time before spending the money gained from his recent Barcelona contract. Although, it does remain to be seen whether he puts Shakira’s recording studio to use…

Where Yamal ranks in 2026 Ballon d'Or Power Rankings

Tottenham Hotspur produced one of their best performances of the 2025/26 campaign on Tuesday night when they smashed Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League.

Thomas Frank’s side strolled to a comfortable victory in North London, despite Brennan Johnson’s second-half red card, and could have had a fifth when Richarlison missed a penalty late on.

The pick of the goals on the night was, undoubtably, the unbelievable solo run from central defender Micky van de Ven, which will

surely be in contention for the Goal of the Season award next year.

In terms of performances, Dutch attacking midfielder Xavi Simons will be pleased with his personal contribution after an impressive outing.

How Xavi Simons may have kickstarted his season

The £52m summer signing from RB Leipzig ended a run of 11 matches without a goal contribution in all competitions for Spurs with his assist for Johnson’s opening goal.

Xavi played a brilliant pass through to the Wales international, which allowed him to slot into an empty net after rounding the goalkeeper, and that was his second assist of the season.

The Netherlands international created three ‘big chances’ for the team in total, per Sofascore, and was the first Spurs player to create three chances in a Champions League half since the 2016/17 campaign.

Xavi, now, needs to use this impressive performance as a platform to kick on and provide consistency on a regular basis for the Lilywhites.

The Dutchman was not the only star player who could use Tuesday night’s match as a platform, though, as Wilson Odobert had his best night for the club.

Why Copenhagen was Wilson Odobert's best performance for Spurs

Since his move to Spurs from Burnley in the summer of 2024, Odobert has only managed two goals and no assists in the Premier League and the Champions League, with the second of those two goals coming against Copenhagen.

The French winger, who earned the same player rating (8/10) as Xavi from GOAL, remained incredibly composed to finish his chance, as shown in the clip above, when it would have been easy to snatch at it or try to smash it towards goal.

On top of scoring, the former Burnley man also completed three dribbles and created one chance, per Sofascore, which speaks to how direct and effective he was with the ball at his feet.

The Athletic’s Jay Harris suggested it was his “best performance in a Spurs shirt”, and that is hard to argue with, when compared to the only other game in the Premier League or Champions League that he has contributed to a goal in.

Minutes

90

80

xG

0.47

0.21

Goals

1

1

Pass accuracy

70%

88%

Key passes

0

1

Dribbles completed

1/1

3/6

Duels won

2/6

6/9

As you can see in the table above, Odobert was better in duels, as a dribbler, as a creator, and as a passer against Copenhagen than he was against West Ham when he scored his first league goal for the club.

These statistics suggest that the French sensation, who was as effective as Xavi on Tuesday night, did play his best match for the Lilywhites against the Danish outfit.

He can revive Simons: Spurs favourites to sign "one of Europe's best CFs"

The impressive goalscorer could be just what Spurs and Simons need this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 4, 2025

Like the Dutchman, Odobert should look to use this performance as a platform to build from for the rest of the season to kick on and become a star for Tottenham.