Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has said he will not campaign or “beg” for the Ballon d’Or, insisting that the decision over who deserves the prestigious individual award should be left to voters
Yamal, 19, enters the race after what he described as an outstanding year with both Barcelona and Spain, having helped the Catalan giants retain the LaLiga title and Spain become world champions
His comments came after Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe made his own case for the award on Monday, pointing to his performance at the World Cup, where he won the Golden Boot and became the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer
Yamal, who finished second in last year’s Ballon d’Or voting behind PSG star Ousmane Dembele, said he was satisfied with what he had achieved and would leave the final decision to others
“I don’t think I need to make a campaign for it I’m not thinking about what I deserve, everyone can think what they like,” Yamal said on Tuesday.
“I’m proud of everything I’ve done this year with my club and with the national team We’ve become world champions, we’ve won the league again. I can’t ask for anything more.
“I’ve shown an incredible level, it’s the media’s job and I will not beg for anything”
Yamal, Mbappe, Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are among the leading contenders for the award ahead of the ceremony scheduled to take place in London on October 26
Dembele, who recently spoke to France Football about the award, named Kvaratskhelia, Kane and Mbappe among his preferred top three candidates
Asked about Dembele’s choices, Yamal responded jokingly: “He’s a friend of Kylian, right?”
The Barcelona winger added: “The truth is I don’t care, I’m very happy with the year I had, when I played against both of them together I must have annoyed them”
Spain defeated France 2-0 in the World Cup semi-finals, with Yamal playing a part in Spain’s successful campaign
The winger’s season was interrupted by a hamstring injury suffered in April, but he has recently returned to his best form
After appearing frustrated at the beginning of the season, Yamal has looked increasingly comfortable in recent matches, scoring twice in his last two outings against Rayo Vallecano and Valencia
Reflecting on his current mood and the success of the year, Yamal said he had every reason to be happy
“In the end, I’m 19, coming off winning a World Cup, having had the best holidays of my life
“I’ve never been happier at any point in my life than I am now”
Yamal is also regarded as the favourite to claim a third consecutive best young player award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony
He was among the 10 players nominated for the award on Tuesday, alongside Johan Manzambi, Yan Diomande and Ayyoub Bouaddi, who also impressed at the World Cup before attracting significant transfer interest during the summer