Lamine Yamal believes he deserves to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or after helping Barcelona retain La Liga and becoming a world champion with Spain.
The 19-year-old Barcelona winger also said he and Kylian Mbappe were the two best players in the world.
“For me, Mbappe and me, we’re the two best players in the world,” Yamal said in an interview with Movistar Plus, excerpts of which were published on Sunday.
“I honestly think that, as the best in the world, maybe there are two of us, and this year I would deserve it because of what I’ve won,” he added.
Yamal strengthened his claim for football’s most prestigious individual prize during a trophy-laden campaign. He helped Barcelona retain La Liga before winning the World Cup with Spain this summer.
The teenager adopted a more cautious position at a news conference last Tuesday, saying he believed he had a chance of winning the award after an “incredible” season. However, he added that he would not beg for votes.
Mbappe has also put forward his case for the Ballon d’Or in recent days. The France captain finished as the leading scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup.
Despite Mbappe’s individual achievements, Real Madrid did not win a major trophy.
Yamal’s Barcelona and Spain team-mate Ousmane Dembele, who won the award last year, believes it should stay with a Paris Saint-Germain player.
Dembele’s view comes after Paris Saint-Germain retained the Champions League, giving one of their players a strong claim to succeed him.
Bayern Munich striker and England international Harry Kane is also among the leading contenders for the award.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or will be issued in London on October 26.