Lamine Yamal enters fully into the campaign for the Ballon d'Or: "This year I deserve it"

BarcelonaOn Monday, in the lead-up to the Real Madrid - Inter Milan Champions League match, Kylian Mbappé was emphatic in stating that he considered he had done more to deserve it than anyone –"I have made history", he said– to take home the Ballon d'Or. The next day, much more cautious, Lamine Yamal stated, on the eve of the clash against Feyenoord, that winning it did not depend on him, despite considering that he had had a good enough season to receive the trophy, and that he does not plan to beg to take home the award that will be granted by the magazine France Footballon October 26th.

In this way, it seemed that the blue and garnet star was dismissing a campaign that had been activated from Madrid so that Mbappé would take the Ballon d'Or. In a preview of an interview on Universo Valdano which will be broadcast in full this Fridayon Movistar +, however, Lamine Yamal does fully enter into the campaign. "To whom would I give it? To the best player in the world. To whom will they give it? That is already a very long conversation... I honestly believe that there are two of us who are the best in the world, and this year I would deserve it because of what I have won. For me, Mbappé and I are the two best in the world. For me it is clear, and everyone who watches the matches knows it", states, calmly, the winger from Rocafonda in conversation with Jorge Valdano.

Lamine Yamal, champion of La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup with Barça and of the world with the Spanish national team, also explains that he did not end up completely satisfied after the World Cup tournament. "After winning the World Cup I was not happy. It is true that there is the issue of the injury, but it has nothing to do with it. I know that, at another time, if the World Cup were to be played again, if I hadn't had the injury I would have been at the same level. I did many things that people didn't see. For example, I think that for the coach it is an incredible thing to have a player who drags three opponents, but I was not happy with myself because I know that another player with my performance would have had a great World Cup, but I think I could have done more. Yes, I helped the team, but I am very eager for the next one to arrive," confesses the Blaugrana attacker.

Although at only 19 years old Lamine Yamal only has the Champions League left as a major collective title to win –with Spain he has lifted the World Cup and the European Championship–, the Barça player states that he still has a long way to go. "There have been great stars in football, like Leo [Messi], like Cristiano [Ronaldo] or like Diego [Maradona], whom I have not been able to see play, but never before had so much been won so early. There is the case of Pelé, who did win many things very young, but recently, no. And there are people who think that because I have already won so much at some point I will relax, but I know that I have a thousand things left to do to remain in the history of football," says the Blaugrana number 10. The campaign for the Ballon d'Or is already underway.