Nicki Nicole calls Lamine Yamal 'my star' after Ballon d'Or loss

In the award ceremony on Monday night, the 18-year-old forward maintained professionalism on stage, congratulating the winner Ousmane Dembele in front of thousands, but the disappointment of finishing second after a stellar season was evident.

Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, described the result as the "greatest moral harm" to his son, whom he believes is the best player in the world, according to El Chiringuito TV.

Nicole was unable to attend the ceremony in Paris, so she took to social media with an affectionate post: a selfie with Yamal captioned, "My star. I love you." The post quickly went viral and received positive reactions from fans.

Nicki Nicole's post on Instagram with Lamine Yamal on Sept. 22, 2025. Photo by Instagram/@nicki.nicole

Accompanied by his parents, younger brother and over a dozen relatives to the award ceremony, Yamal won the Silver Ball and the Kopa Trophy for the second time as the young player of the year.

He won the La Liga, Copa Del Rey and Spanish Super Cup with Barca last season, but Dembele edged him out after winning the treble with PSG - Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the UEFA Champions League.

Yamal first made the relationship public on Nicole's 25th birthday on Aug. 25. Since then, there have been rumors about a split, but the couple quickly shut them down by affectionate gestures on social media.

Nicole, whose real name is Nicole Denise Cucco, is a rising star in Latin trap and urban music. She was nominated for a Latin Grammy and performed at major music festivals.