The Chiringuito: "Lamine Yamal is the favorite for the Ballon d'Or"

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17/10/26 18:30:00

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Lamine Yamal has strengthened his candidacy for the Ballon d'Or as the voting enters its final stretch. The 19-year-old forward who dominates all the news about FC Barcelona, gave an interview to L'Équipe to present his case in a race where Kylian Mbappé has also publicly defended his merits.

The Spanish international prioritizes his style of play and the titles won over a purely goal-based assessment. His season includes 16 goals and 11 assists in LaLiga, the championship with Barça, and the 2026 World Cup won with Spain.

Lamine Yamal advocates for a Ballon d'Or beyond goals

Lamine Yamal believes the award should acknowledge the player able to stand out for their impact on the game and what they bring when they receive the ball. In his conversation with the French newspaper, he mentioned Leo Messi and Ronaldinho as references, players associated with that profile.

His candidacy is also backed by numbers. The FC Barcelona player ended the previous season with 16 goals and 11 assists in LaLiga and was recognized as the best player in the competition. Additionally, the World Cup added the main international title to his season.

Yamal emphasizes that collective trophies are also part of his candidacy. Spain was crowned world champion on July 19, while Barcelona clinched LaLiga 2025/26 with the winger as one of their main offensive references.

This argument sets a contrast with Kylian Mbappé's candidacy. Without directly mentioning the Frenchman when discussing goals, Lamine argued that the winner should not be solely determined by who has a higher scoring figure.

Kylian Mbappé presents a candidacy based on 42 goals

The records of Kylian Mbappé are indeed one of his main arguments for the Ballon d'Or. The forward ended the 2025/26 season with 42 goals in 44 matches with Real Madrid, including 25 in LaLiga and 15 in the Champions League.

Mbappé also topped the World Cup's goal-scoring chart with 10 goals. Although France didn't lift the trophy, the striker secured the Golden Boot award and became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, with 22 goals accumulated.

The Frenchman has also publicly declared his candidacy in recent weeks. Mbappé believes that his individual performance enables him to aspire to the award, while Lamine Yamal puts more emphasis on the combination of gameplay, titles, and the ability to make a difference.

France also considers Lamine Yamal among the favorites

Lamine Yamal's candidacy has also sparked debate in France. Josep Pedrerol interviewed French journalist Yassin Nfaoui on El Chiringuito, linked to Téléfoot and TF1, who stated that the Barcelona player is deemed the favorite in France to win the award.

Nfaoui's opinion does not predict the voting result but provides insight into the perception in the country where the award originated and where France Football and the L'Équipe group are located.

The voting is now in its final days before the outcome is revealed. The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on October 26 in London, with Lamine Yamal and Mbappé defending two distinct candidacies supported by different arguments: titles and influence on the game versus a goal-scoring production of 42 goals with Real Madrid.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El Chiringuito: "Lamine Yamal es favorito para el Balón de Oro"