Barcelona coach Hansi Flick says Lamine Yamal deserves to win the Ballon d'Or after another dazzling performance in Wednesday's 5-1 Champions League win over Feyenoord. Yamal scored his fifth goal of the season with a free kick and added two assists, helping Barça kick off their European campaign in style at a rainy Spotify Camp Nou. His display came just days after being named on the 30-player shortlist for the award, with the winner set to be announced in London on Oct. 26.

"Of course, he's my player, a player from Barcelona," Flick said. "He deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. For me, it's great. You can see in every game he's special. No one has this like him. I think he deserves it."

Yamal's goal was his 12th in the Champions League, moving him within one of Kylian Mbappé's record for most goals by a teenager in the competition. Overall, the 19-year-old has now registered 101 goal contributions for Barcelona (54 goals, 47 assists) at just 19 years and 58 days old.

His strong start follows a year in which he won La Liga with Barça and the World Cup with Spain, making him a leading contender for the prize. However, Flick acknowledged tough competition from Real Madrid's Mbappé, Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, and several Paris Saint-Germain players, including last year's winner Ousmane Dembélé.

Flick also expressed surprise that Barça teammates Raphinha and Pedri were left off the shortlist. "They are too good to not be there," he said. "But we cannot change it. They are fantastic players and deserve to be there."

Raphinha, now the team's captain, has been in outstanding form, scoring Barça's first and third goals against Feyenoord. He has netted in each of the team's opening five matches, becoming the first Barça player since 1950 to do so, and now has eight goals this season.

"Raphinha, we saw today, his intensity is great," Flick added. "When he attacks deep, with the pass from Pedri for his second goal, this is unbelievable."

Barça have scored five goals in four of their five games so far, tallying 22 in total. That attacking output has fueled optimism about winning their first Champions League title since 2015, though Flick remains cautious. "I like a lot what I see, but also I see situations where we have to improve," he said. "I am really happy about what my players are doing on the pitch, but you always can improve. There is a long way to the end."

He stressed the importance of maintaining intensity. "This affects the team, how we are doing on the pitch, in the games. This is a great situation. We need this intensity for our philosophy. It's important for how we press as a team."