Lamine Yamal: Mbappe and I Are the World’s Two Best Players, I Deserve Ballon d’Or

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has declared himself and Kylian Mbappe the two best players in world football and insisted he deserves to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

The 19-year-old made the claim in an interview with Movistar Plus, excerpts of which were published on Sunday, as the race for this year’s prestigious individual award enters its final stages.

“For me, Mbappe and me, we’re the two best players in the world,” Yamal said.

The Spain international added that his achievements over the past year strengthened his case for the award. “I honestly think that, as the best in the world, maybe there are two of us, and this year I would deserve it because of what I’ve won,” he said.

Yamal enjoyed a highly successful campaign with Barcelona before helping Spain win the World Cup this summer. His performances and collection of team honours have placed him among the leading contenders for the Ballon d’Or.

The teenager had adopted a more cautious tone during a press conference last Tuesday, saying he believed he had a genuine chance of winning after an “incredible” season but would not plead with voters to support him.

Mbappe is also considered a leading contender after an outstanding individual campaign. The France captain finished as the leading scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup, although Real Madrid ended the season without a major trophy.

Yamal’s Barcelona and Spain teammate Ousmane Dembele, who won the Ballon d’Or last year, has backed another Paris Saint-Germain player to retain the prize after the French club successfully defended its Champions League title.

Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane is another prominent contender in the race. The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26.