After previously claiming that the Ballon d’Or race was limited to himself and Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal has now acknowledged that Lionel Messi’s hopes of securing a record-extending ninth award are not “nonsense.”
With this year’s Ballon d’Or contest regarded as one of the most open in decades, several of the leading candidates have attempted to influence the 100 journalists responsible for voting by openly making their case.
Harry Kane has sat through a number of interviews, while Kylian Mbappé appears to be receiving more international media attention.
Yamal has also launched his own media campaign, although, like most 19-year-olds, he has already come to regret some of the things he has said.
Last week, the Barcelona forward insisted that the award had become a two-man contest.
“Mbappé and I are the two best in the world. For me, it’s very clear, and everyone who watches the games knows it.”
That statement appeared to dismiss the chances of several other contenders, including Yamal’s fellow Spaniard and World Cup-winning captain Rodri, Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League-winning star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and, of course, Lionel Messi.
However, Yamal later appeared to soften his position during an interview with L’Équipe, particularly regarding the legendary eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“They’re all incredible players,” Yamal said when discussing the other 29 nominees. “It doesn’t surprise me that these guys are in the running—they all have their own case to make.
Messi is mentioned because he had a great World Cup, for example, and others have different arguments.
“We have to respect everyone’s opinion. If someone says, ‘Messi deserves it’ or ‘Rodri deserves it,’ that’s totally respectable—they’re not talking nonsense, right?”
Could Lionel Messi Win a Ninth Ballon d’Or?
There are three main criteria being considered for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Individual performances, decisive and impressive character.
Collective performances and trophies won.
Class and fair play.
There is also an unwritten factor that tends to influence the award, which is the importance of the World Cup. In years when the sport’s biggest and most prestigious tournament takes place, performances on that stage can carry significantly greater weight.
Messi strongly satisfies the first criterion following a remarkable run of individual performances for Argentina this summer.
Motivated by the support of his ailing father watching from afar and aided by months of preparation in Miami’s humid conditions, the 39-year-old once again appeared to defy his age. He scored eight goals and provided four assists as Argentina fought its way through to the final.
While some of his teammates failed to satisfy the third criterion, Messi avoided being involved in the unsavoury scenes that followed the final whistle.
Ballon d’Or voters have often shown a romantic side when making their choices, as demonstrated by Messi’s victory in 2023.
Erling Haaland had dominated throughout the season for a Manchester City side that completed a historic European treble, but Messi’s contribution to Argentina’s World Cup triumph ultimately earned him the prestigious award.
Although Messi did not lift the trophy this time, the Argentina captain arguably produced an even stronger individual tournament in the United States than he had during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
