Yamal says Ballon d'Or 'not about scoring 80 goals'

Lamine Yamal says the Ballon d'Or should go to the best player in the world, not necessarily to the most prolific goalscorer or a player who helps their team win trophies.

Yamal is viewed as one of the leading contenders to land football's top individual prize at next month's award ceremony in London, having helped Barcelona retain their LaLiga title before adding the World Cup to his Euro 2024 triumph with Spain.

Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe are also seen as major challengers, despite the former only winning domestic trophies with Bayern Munich and the latter claiming no silverware at all.

Kane's case has gained particular traction, with the striker netting 73 times for Bayern and England during the period considered in the voting process for the award.

Across all competitions for Bayern, Kane found the net 65 times in 2025-26 – at least 15 more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues, with Mbappe scoring 50 goals.

But Yamal thinks the prize should be about more than pure numbers, telling Movistar Plus: "That award is being viewed differently now.

"When [Lionel] Messi and Cristiano [Ronaldo] were around, everyone knew they were the two best in the world, so the award was shared between the two players.

"The problem now is that people are focusing on things that have nothing to do with the Ballon d'Or. For example, when they say a PSG player has to win it because they won the Champions League.

"When you win the Champions League, PSG are awarded the Champions League trophy for being the best team, and that's the prize that belongs to PSG.

"It's a different matter altogether if the world's best player happens to be at PSG. In that case, I believe the award should go to the world's best player, full stop. Not to a player who has scored 80 goals, because when you score 80 goals, you're given the top scorer award for the season. These are different things that people aren't understanding. 

"The best player in the world is the one who, as a pundit, makes you watch the match and enjoy it; you see him, and he's a player who stands out from the rest.

"When the focus returns to that – and the best player in the world is recognised as the best, not the one who scores the most goals or has won the most titles – then the award will regain the value it deserves."

Yamal's own figures in the evaluation period – which runs from last August to July 19, the date of the World Cup final – are impressive enough.

He registered 24 goals and 17 assists in 45 outings for Barcelona, with his 41 combined goal involvements being the sixth-most of any player from Europe's top five leagues. Kane led the way with 68 contributions, with Mbappe and Michael Olise tied for second with 48.

Yamal both attempted (429) and completed (225) the most dribbles of any player, while his 59 chances created following carries were also the most. 

The Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place on October 26, with Yamal hoping to become the seventh different Barcelona player to win the prize. Messi won the award six times while representing the Blaugrana, with Ronaldinho (in 2006) the other player to do so this century.