Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has vowed not to beg for Ballon d’Or votes. He claimed that his campaign will be done on the pitch with the club and the national side.
Speaking to the media ahead of Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League opener, Yamal said he knows how Ballon d’Or voting works, but he won’t campaign off the pitch. He wants his performances to earn him the votes and said:
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“I won’t be begging to win anything. The Ballon d’Or is not up to me, it’s up to you. We had a great year with Barça and the national team.”
Kylian Mbappe spoke highly of his performances earlier this week, recalling his performances at the FIFA World Cup. He was quick to campaign for himself, saying that he should be among the top candidates for the award this year.
However, Yamal does not think he needs to do the same and said:
“I don’t think I need that. I won’t try to convince you that I’m the one who deserves the award, as everyone has the right to see things the way they want. I’m proud of the season I delivered with my team and with the national team. We were crowned world champions, and we won the league again, and I couldn’t ask for more than that.”
Lamine Yamal’s Barcelona beat Real Madrid to win La Liga last season, while Los Blancos went trophyless once again.
Lamine Yamal dreams of winning Ballon d’Or multiple times
Lamine Yamal spoke about the Ballon d’Or last year, saying that he dreams of winning the award multiple times. He was confident of doing it in his career, adding that he has already discussed it with his friends and said:
“I told my friends I don’t dream of winning one Ballon d’Or, I dream of winning many. I think I’m a player who has the ability to win it, and if I don’t, it’s because I haven’t done things right or because I haven’t wanted to. So, I dream of winning the Ballon d’Or many times and when the day comes [that I win it], I’ll be very happy.”
Lamine Yamal finished second in the Ballon d’Or race last year, collecting 1059 votes. Ousmane Dembele won the award with 1380 votes, while Vitinha came in third with 703 votes. Mohamed Salah was fourth on the list with 657 votes, with Raphinha coming in fifth with 620 votes.
The Barcelona teenager also came eighth in the 2024 ranking, when Rodri took home the award.
Edited by Sripad