Lamine Yamal believes the Ballon d’Or should reward the player who brings the most joy to supporters rather than simply going to the footballer with the best scoring record.
The Barcelona forward finished second to Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembele last year and is among the leading contenders again, with the winner set to be announced at a ceremony in London on October 26.
Yamal is up against a field that includes Dembele, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who enjoyed a prolific campaign in front of goal.
Kane scored 61 goals for Bayern as they won the Bundesliga, while Mbappe scored 42 for Real Madrid. Yamal found the net 24 times and Dembele scored 20 as PSG won the European title.
The 19-year-old does not believe raw numbers should determine who wins the game’s most prestigious individual award.
“It’s fun that there are more players [up for the prize], more debate and people can have different opinions,” Yamal told L’Equipe.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to the journalists. It’s a difficult job for them. We all have good arguments to win it. We are all great players, so let’s see.
“The Ballon d’Or is for the best player of the year, someone different, someone we have enjoyed watching, who has that magic, makes you smile and look forward to watching games just to see them play.
“It’s not to do with the sheer number of goals. When I think of the Ballon d’Or, I think of [Lionel] Messi, Ronaldinho… different players, players that make you dream.”
Yamal points to style over trophies
There is also a strong statistical case for Kane based purely on his output, but Yamal believes other elements should carry greater weight.
The Barcelona youngster won multiple trophies with his club and was also part of the Spain side that lifted the World Cup, adding another major honour to a collection that already includes the European Championship.
Yamal believes those achievements, alongside his performances, strengthen his claim for the award.
“On the pitch I enjoy myself,” he added. “I have also been lucky enough to win a lot of trophies with Barcelona.
“And I won the biggest trophy of them all, the World Cup with my national team. But beyond all that, I think the way I play is the strongest argument and what makes me different.”
Yamal dreams of joining football’s greats
Despite insisting the Ballon d’Or is not an obsession, Yamal admits he dreams of winning it and wants his career to leave a lasting mark.
The teenager has repeatedly spoken about establishing his own identity rather than being compared with the likes of Messi or Pele.
“Yes, I dream of winning [the Ballon d’Or],” he said. “I always say that everyone has to aim as high as possible. If I was a waiter, I would want to own the restaurant.
“I play to make history, so that in 30 years kids say: ‘He was really good.’ But it’s not an obsession. I never think ‘I want to be better than Pele or Messi.’ I don’t want to compare myself with others.
“I want to be Lamine Yamal. I want to be remembered as Lamine Yamal. I hope to be remembered among the greats. I have the capacity to do it; it depends on me.”
“I already knew he scored loads of goals, but training with him every day, seeing his mentality, he has dazzled me even more,” Diaz told ESPN.
“It’s difficult to sum him up in one word. Brutal, maybe… magnificent. For me, it’s hard to find the perfect word to describe him.
“For me, he’s the No.1 candidate to win the Ballon d’Or. I hope he wins it.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: 101greatgoals.com
