Ballon d'Or 2026: He's Extremely Talented - Mbappe Responds to Lamine Yamal's Comments
Mbappé called Yamal extremely talented and wished him well after the Barcelona winger said the Ballon d'Or should reward the best player, not just goals.
- Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé responded to Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal's public push for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, calling the 19-year-old "an extremely talented player" and predicting a brilliant career ahead of Madrid's match on Sunday.
- Yamal, who finished second in the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting, argued on September 18 that the award should recognize a player's ability to inspire joy rather than "sheer number of goals." He previously claimed he and Mbappé are the world's two best players.
- While England striker Harry Kane netted 61 goals for Bayern Munich, Mbappé scored 42 for Real Madrid, Yamal netted 24, and European champion Ousmane Dembélé scored 20. Yamal cites his playing style and World Cup victory as his strongest arguments.
- Bayern Munich Sporting Director Max Eberl questioned the need for campaigning, telling Sky Sports "the best players are the ones who don't need to run a campaign." Cameroon legend Samuel Eto'o wrote on Instagram that Yamal is the "Ballon d'Or of our hearts."
- The ceremony in London on October 26, 2026, will crown the winner from 30 shortlisted nominees. Yamal maintains his primary goal is to be remembered for his unique legacy, not to surpass football icons like Pelé or Messi.
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Blaugrana responds to the criticisms: “If Mbappé and I had said we didn’t deserve it, they would tell us why we say that.”
In an interview with the newspaper L'Équipe, FC Barcelona's striker stated that the award must recognize the differential talent and the show.
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.
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