Lamine Yamal has boldly declared and backed himself as the favourite for the Ballon d’Or award this year. The Spanish winger highlighted his personal and collective achievements as he staked his claim for football’s most prestigious individual award.
“I believe I deserve this Ballon d’Or also because of the titles I have won and achieved last season,” said Lamine in an interview with Movistar.
He praised Kylian Mbappé and paid glowing tribute to the Real Madrid star as the best footballer in the world, alongside himself, but still chose himself over the Frenchman for the Ballon d’Or.
“Kylian Mbappé and I, we are the two best in the world, but I think I am the one who deserves to win the Ballon d’Or,” said Lamine.
“That’s my view. There are great players like Messi, Cristiano and Maradona, but I think it’s NEVER happened before that someone has won so much at such an early age.”
“There was Pelé, but in recent times, never, I think”.
Barcelona’s head coach Hansi Flick backed Lamine Yamal’s bid for the Ballon d’Or in a statement, saying:
“Lamine is my player, he’s a Barcelona player and I also think he would deserve that too to win the Ballon d’Or this year! He’s an exceptional player. You can see that in every match. He’s special”.
Lamine Yamal had a memorable season individually and collectively with FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team. The fleet-footed winger registered 24 goals and 18 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for club and country. Yamal took over Barcelona’s iconic number 10 shirt and justified the decision to hand him the fabled jersey with innumerable jaw-dropping displays. He starred for the Catalan club as they successfully defended their La Liga title and clinched another Supercopa de España title. He registered double figures in goals and assists in the Spanish top-flight — otherworldly statistics for a teenager.
Lamine was named La Liga Player of the Season for his stellar performances and awarded the Zarra Trophy as the highest-scoring Spanish player in La Liga with 16 goals. The season ended on a historic note for Lamine Yamal, culminating in his maiden FIFA World Cup triumph as Spain went all the way and defeated Argentina in the final of the biggest competition in football. He has nearly completed football. He is not resting on his laurels and has bigger aspirations that he aims to achieve in his career.
“People have this mindset that because I’ve won, maybe I’ll relax with my career at some point: No. I know I have a thousand things to do to stay in football history, said Lamine to Movistar.
Lamine came close to winning the award last season but finished 2nd behind Ousmane Dembélé in the final rankings.
DEMBÉLÉ HITS BACK AT MBAPPÉ
Ousmane Dembélé, the current Ballon d’Or holder, lashed out at Kylian Mbappé and refuted the latter’s claims of him being just an extremely talented footballer.
Mbappe recently declared himself the undisputed favourite for the Ballon d’Or award, referencing his individual awards and personal achievements last season in a statement to L’Équipe, saying:
“There isn’t a single player who had a better season than me. I believe I have chances.”
“Who’d I vote for the Ballon d’Or? I’d vote for me. It is an individual award. We look at what the player has done individually,” said Mbappé.
The Real Madrid forward made a comparison to the expectations from himself and Dembélé, stating that “Dembélé has always been seen as a talented player,” while revealing that he has been seen as ‘the chosen one.’
Dembélé’s response when he was asked about his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or for a second successive year appeared to be a dig aimed at Mbappé. The Paris Saint-Germain winger said his success came from hard work, not just talent, and that he had always let his football do the talking.
“I was never the elected one, yes, but I worked a lot”.
“Last year I was rewarded. This year, we will see”. I’ve always been at the back of the class, always working hard.”
“All my career, I didn’t say a word. I always worked hard,” said Dembele to Canal Plus.
WHO WILL WIN THE BALLON D’OR?
Lamine Yamal is the latest footballer to declare his ambitions for this year’s Ballon d’Or prize, after Kylian Mbappe last week. Mbappe and Yamal’s claims may be exaggerated, but they are undoubtedly favourites for the award alongside Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Ousmane Dembele. Kvaratskhelia had a great year individually and collectively with Paris Saint-Germain, but Georgia’s absence from the 2026 FIFA World Cup dented his credentials. The winner will be revealed on the 26th of October at a ceremony in London.
