Introduction
On September 13, Fabrizio Romano reported Lamine Yamal’s claim about the two best players in the world. The 19-year-old Spanish winger believes that he is the best player of the season and deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, stunning fans all around the world.
That landed a few days after Mbappé had made his own case in L’Équipe, saying nobody had a better last season than him.
“Lamine Yamal Doesn’t Beg”
Lamine Yamal made his comments during an interview with Jorge Valdano for the Spanish TV show Universo Valdanoon Movistar. This interview has received tons of backlash from fans.
On September 8, Lamine Yamal made a neutral statement about the Ballon d’Or campaign by saying:
“I don’t think I need to campaign for the Ballon d’Or. I’m proud of what I’ve done with my team and the national team. I can’t ask for more.”
“It’s your job. I’m not going to beg for anything.”
Changing His Mind?
On September 13, a Movistar clip showed Lamine Yamal taking a stronger line about the Ballon d’Or by saying:
“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,” he told Movistar.
He added:
“I believe I deserve this Ballon d’Or also because of the titles I have won and achieved last season. That’s my view,” he told Movistar.
My Perspective
In my perspective, this was a straight-up dumb decision from Lamine Yamal. In a professional competition like the Ballon d’Or, fans expect more mature and respectful players.
Even though the Spanish winger is very confident, which is a good thing for him, he should not share this opinion publicly, as fans will criticize him.
Especially making a statement like this after his neutral statement is what makes everything unacceptable.
Overall, he may have hurt his image with voters, as they are looking at three main criteria:
- Player performance
- Team performance
- Collaboration, professionalism, and other factors
Ballon d’Or Favorites
According to several reports, the top 8 players most likely to win the Ballon d’Or are:
| Rank | Player | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Kane | ~61–64% |
| 2 | Lamine Yamal | ~16–18% |
| 3 | Kylian Mbappé | ~8–11% |
| 4 | Rodri | ~6–7% |
| 5 | Lionel Messi | ~3% |
| 6 | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | ~2% |
| 7 | Fabián Ruiz | ~1% |
| 8 | Ousmane Dembélé | ~1% |
Fan Reactions
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