Ballon d'Or 2026: He's Extremely Talented - Mbappe Responds to Lamine Yamal's Comments
Yamal says the award should go to the best player, not the top scorer, as Mbappé and other contenders enter the debate.
- Real Madrid captain Kylian Mbappé responded on Sunday to Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal's Ballon d'Or campaign, calling the 19-year-old "an extremely talented player" and wishing him a brilliant career.
- Yamal recently argued that the award should recognize a "unique" player who "brings a smile" rather than just goal tallies, citing Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho as examples of this philosophy.
- Thirty players are shortlisted for the October 26 ceremony in London, including Yamal, Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, who netted 61 goals this season.
- Bayern Munich Sporting Director Max Eberl told Sky Sports there must be campaigning, while Luis Díaz backed Kane and Cameroon legend Samuel Eto'o publicly endorsed Yamal.
- The Ballon d'Or winner will be crowned next month, concluding a competition where Yamal, who finished second in 2025, seeks to claim the prestigious individual prize.
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90 Articles
Blaugrana responds to the criticisms: “If Mbappé and I had said we didn’t deserve it, they would tell us why we say that.”
Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé say they think they deserve it, even to influence those who vote
Beyond goals and assists, Lamine Yamal believes she should win the Golden Ball for her cheerful football. Yamal was compared to Messi and Ronadinho
Paris, 23 Sep (EFE).- «The Golden Ball should fall on the different player, the one you want to see, the one who has that magic, that makes you smile, that makes you want to go to football only to see him», says the attacker of Barcelona Lamine Yamal, who is running for that award in the [...] La entrada Lamine Yamal: «The Golden Ball must fall on a different player, that has magic» was first published in HolaNews.
With the 2025/26 Ballon d'Or just around the corner, the battle for the most prestigious individual award in football is increasingly centered around two names: Kylian Mbappe and Lamino Yamal. Both are using the media to present their arguments as to why they should be crowned the world's best footballer.
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