Lamine Yamal: "Mbappé and I are the two best — I deserve the Ballon d'Or"
The Barcelona teenager singled out himself and Kylian Mbappé as the world's best and said he wants the Ballon d'Or and a stronger World Cup showing.
14.09.2026 — Lamine Yamal, young forward for FC Barcelona, did not hide his ambitions and named himself alongside one of football's biggest names when asked about the world's best players.
With growing influence at club level, Yamal said he is ready to take “one more giant step” and pursue the sport's top individual honour. "Kylian Mbappé and I are both the best players in the world. But this year I believe I deserve to win the Ballon d'Or," Yamal said.
Despite his youth, the Barcelona attacker spoke with the confidence of an established star and made clear he is not satisfied with what he has achieved so far. On his World Cup display he was particularly self-critical. "For another player, my performance at the World Cup would be excellent, but not for me," Yamal said.
Already looking ahead
He said he is already thinking about the next World Cup and wants another opportunity to leave a stronger mark on the national stage. "I really want the next one to come," the young Spaniard added, clearly alluding to the next World Cup.
Yamal also compared his early success to that of historic figures in the game while stressing how unusual his progress has been at such a young age. "There are historical players like Messi, Cristiano and Maradona, but I don't think anyone has ever won so much at such a young age," he said.
Far from complacent, the 16/17-year-old (note: age implied by "very young" in statements) insisted he will continue to work hard and not let early accolades slow him down. "People think I might relax at some point because I've already won so much. But I know I still have a thousand things to do to stay in football history," he said.
Photo: press material from the event
