Lamine Yamal has reignited the debate surrounding the Ballon d’Or. Following PSG’s many successes, several Paris players are among the leading candidates. However, the FC Barcelona star believes that winning the Champions League should not automatically favor Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or Fabian Ruiz.
The media battle surrounding the Ballon d’Or continues. After the Dembélé-Mbappé duel, Lamine Yamal has now entered the debate. In an interview with Movistar, the Spanish forward explained his view of the award. According to him, the Ballon d’Or has become more difficult to understand since the end of the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era. “This trophy has a different value today. When Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were the best, everyone knew it and there was no debate. The problem is that people give more importance to things that have nothing to do with the Ballon d’Or, like when they say that a PSG player should win because they won the Champions League.”
Lamine Yamal rejects the Champions League argument
That statement clearly targets one of the main arguments in favor of PSG’s players. Paris won the Champions League and several of their key players are now Ballon d’Or candidates. But for Lamine Yamal, a distinction must be made between team success and individual performances. “When you win the Champions League, the Champions League trophy is given to PSG because they were the best team. That’s the trophy PSG won. Whether PSG have the best player in the world is another matter.” For the Barcelona player, being a key figure in Europe’s best team is therefore not necessarily enough to win the Ballon d’Or.
Read More
Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Fabian Ruiz are all concerned by the debate. Yamal does not directly name the three PSG players to dismiss their chances. Instead, he challenges the idea that winning the Champions League should provide a decisive advantage in the Ballon d’Or race. “So I think this award should be given to the best player in the world, and that’s it,” the Barcelona star concluded. It is also difficult not to read between the lines that Lamine Yamal considers himself a serious candidate for the trophy.
Also read: France: Zidane announces a break with tradition as Les Bleus prepare to change style; PSG target Bayern Munich attacking sensation; OM/PSG: probable line-ups tonight; VIDEO: Rosenior provokes his former supporters as tensions flare during Paris FC/Strasbourg; No more guaranteed starters at PSG under Luis Enrique’s new management; Nice/Lille: probable line-ups.
