Who will win the Ballon d’Or at the end of October? Lamine Yamal believes he should be the one to receive the trophy. His rival, Kylian Mbappé, has also been doing plenty of self-promotion.
As the campaign enters its decisive phase, the candidates are pulling out all the stops – it’s no different in sport than it is in politics. With just a few weeks to go before the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Lamine Yamal is trying to put himself in the spotlight, even though the period under consideration for the award has already ended: In the 4–2 victory over UD Levante, the 19-year-old scored his third consecutive league brace, whilst in between he contributed a goal and two assists to the 5–1 Champions League win against Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Yamal has now backed up his actions with words. “I think I’ve earned it this year because of my achievements,” he said in an interview with MovistarPlus+, looking ahead to the Golden Ball ceremony on 26 October.
He sees Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé as his main rival. “Who would I give it to? The best player in the world. Who will they give it to? That’s a very long discussion. I’m firmly convinced that we’re both the best in the world,” Yamal continued. “For me, that’s clear, and anyone who follows the matches knows it.”
Mbappé had already made his ambitions clear ahead of the Champions League match against Inter Milan (2–1). “ “When you play for Real Madrid, you’re automatically linked with this award,” he said, reminding the wider footballing world that he had become the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer just a few weeks earlier. “I made history this summer, but we’ll see. It’s a good year for it, and it’s up to the public to vote,” said Mbappé, who has also enjoyed a brilliant start to the season with seven goals in six competitive matches. In an interview with France Football shortly afterwards, he said: “Who am I voting for? Myself.”
Yamal not satisfied with his World Cup performance
Although Yamal won the World Cup with Spain, he looks back on the tournament with mixed feelings. “I wasn’t satisfied after winning the World Cup. I did a lot that people didn’t see. For a manager, it’s incredible to have a player who can take on three opponents, but I wasn’t happy for myself, because another player performing at my level would have had a brilliant World Cup.”
Yamal and Mbappé are not the only promising contenders for the Ballon d’Or; the vote promises to be more exciting than ever before. Read on to find out who else stands a chance – and why.
