Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has opened up on his rivalry with Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé in this year’s race for the Ballon d’Or.
Asked who deserves the award, in comments carried by Spanish newspaper “AS”, Yamal said: “I would give it to the best player in the world. As for who they will give it to, that is a very long debate. I honestly believe there are two of us who are the best in the world.”
“Mbappé and I are the best in the world, and everyone who watches the matches knows that,” he added. “We have head-to-head encounters and I have beaten him in everything. He has scored a lot of goals, and that is why he won the Pichichi award.”
He also rejected any automatic link between the World Cup and the Ballon d’Or. “I don’t see that as correct either, because I don’t believe a single competition gives you the award. But the coincidence is that I play for the national team that won the World Cup. And if England had won the World Cup, I would still say that Mbappé and I are the best in the world right now.”
On his early rise to stardom, the Barcelona star said: “There have been great stars like Messi or Ronaldo, but I don’t think such brilliance at a young age has ever been seen in the recent period. People think I will relax simply because I have won, but I still have many things ahead of me to achieve in the history of football.”
Lionel Messi’s World Cup drew warm praise too. “Even though everyone knows he is the best in history, no one expected that legendary performance,” the Barça star said. “For me, Argentina have good players, but Messi surpasses everyone, and he was the best player at the World Cup for me.”
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