Lamine Yamal says he ‘deserves’ Ballon d’Or but Mbappe his main rival
'Mbappe and I are the two best in the world,' Yamal says before claiming he'd deserve to win the prestigious award.
Lamine Yamal believes he would be a deserved winner of the Ballon d’Or this year, given his World Cup success with Spain and La Liga glory with Barcelona, but his closest competitor for the prestigious football award would be Real Madrid rival Kylian Mbappe.
“I honestly believe there are two of us who are the best in the world, and this year I’d deserve it because of what I’ve won,” Lamine said in an interview clip shared by Spanish streaming platform Movistar on Sunday.
“As far as I’m concerned, Mbappe and I are the two best in the world. It’s clear to me, and everyone who watches the matches knows it.”
Yamal was named La Liga’s best player in 2025-26 as Barcelona successfully defended the title, and later played a key role in Spain winning the World Cup in North America.