The criteria that benefit and harm Lamine Yamal and Dembélé in the Ballon d'Or

BarcelonaIn the magazine France Football He doesn't like it very much when the journalists who participate in the Ballon d'Or voting talk about the award. Above all, they want them to publicly express their preferences for one player or another at the time of the voting. They want the result to be secret and not revealed until the last minute, with the big gala held in Paris in the fall. Their status as voters is not for life; they are invited annually to participate in the voting, so if they step out of line they can be excluded. That's why they declined to take a position when contacted by ARA. They have dodged the issue and, at most, have spoken anonymously.

Now, you don't have to be on the select list of journalists to understand that this year's award is a matter for two: Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé. Specifically, the Barça and Paris Saint-Germain forwards face each other this Thursday in the Nations League semi-final. The match between Spain and France (9 p.m.) has garnered a lot of media attention. It's considered crucial for the undecided. Is this really the case? What should they look for? These are the three basic requirements for the match. France Football for the selection of the best player of the year.

1. Titles won and the player's importance in the team's success

It's obvious that not all competitions have equal value. That's why, in World Cup or European Championship years, it's normal for the Ballon d'Or winner to be a player from the winning team—although that hasn't always been the case. This season, the biggest titles are the Champions League and the Nations League, as well as the Club World Cup, which is debuting a new format and whose media coverage is still unknown.

Voting journalists must take into account the titles and the player's importance in winning them. Based on this, Dembélé has the advantage as a Champions League winner. However, he's somewhat penalized by not having scored in the final. In fact, in the last eight qualifying matches, he's only scored twice. He's also not the top scorer (he's eighth, with eight goals, on a list topped by Guirassy's 13). The Frenchman has done more than Lamine Yamal, although the Catalan has scored four in the qualifying rounds.

Dembélé can still score points in the Nations League and the Club World Cup, while Lamine Yamal only has the advantage of the international tournament. On the other hand, and considering national titles, Lamine Yamal has the advantage here. Although both players have won every competition (League, Cup, and Super Cup), French tournaments are less prestigious than those in Spain.

2. Doing incredible things on the pitch

Luis Enrique Martínez has brought out the best football from Ousmane Dembélé. He has been the cornerstone of PSG's success, with 33 goals and 14 assists. Now, when France Football asks that the player who has done incredible things on the field be valued, Lamine Yamal passes him.

The journalists who vote admit that they cannot watch all the games, but only the most important ones. And in the important ones Lamine Yamal has always appeared. He was decisive in the four classics against Madrid (three goals and two assists) and had memorable performances, such as in the tie against Inter Milan, where despite being eliminated he carried the team on his shoulders, in addition to being a protagonist in all the Cup ties, whether scoring (2) or assisting (5).

The goals looking for the nut at the far post, the crosses with the outside of the left foot, the cuts, the courage to always ask for the ball and face... In a world where highlights are so important, the plasticity of Lamine Yamal clearly prevails.

3. Respect fair play

Many people found out a few months ago that the fair play was very important in the Ballon d'Or. It's exactly what penalized Real Madrid player Vinícius, who had done as much with the ball as he did with his attitude toward his opponents, referees, and fans. The voters take into account a player's attitude on and off the field, since if someone has been involved in some kind of scandal, it also subtracts points.

When he played for Barça, Dembélé was more the focus of acts of indiscipline than his merits on the field. But that's water under the bridge and shouldn't penalize him in this edition. For his part, Lamine Yamal fits the bill without a problem. Whether he dyes his hair and plays music loudly in the locker room may be more or less pleasing, but it doesn't affect the fair play.

4. A recommendation: don't let it be a one-hit wonder

The last point is not part of a requirement in itself. France Football, but rather a recommendation to the voters. They ask that the vote be based on the merits of the entire season, not just those of a single match. Désiré Doué was key in the Champions League final, with two goals and an assist, and was named MVP of the match. However, his participation for PSG has not been constant, as he has started in half of the matches played. He is very young, and many discovered him precisely in the Munich match.

Lamine Yamal is still very young. He's not even of age, but he already made his name last year at Barça and was a key player in Spain's European Championship victory. This season, he has simply taken the definitive step forward. Dembélé is a true veteran, who also began to emerge at the end of last season and who has unleashed his full repertoire this season.

5. France, France, France

Among conspiracy theorists, the prevailing theory is that a French magazine will jump at the chance to award the Ballon d'Or to a French player who has led a French team to a championship. The journalists who vote assure us that they do so without any coercion. Furthermore, their choices are made public once the award is presented. However, football's memory is short, and merits in the final months of the competition always outweigh those at the beginning of the season. Lamine Yamal has one last bullet. Dembélé has two. Experts believe that, at this point, Dembélé has a slight advantage. In any case, they believe the vote will be extremely close.