Edu Aguirre says Lamine Yamal is ‘four levels’ below Kylian Mbappe in Ballon d’Or debate

With just over a month remaining before the next Ballon d’Or winner is announced, the contest is increasingly being framed as a battle between Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe.

The ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on 26 October, with the Barcelona forward and Real Madrid striker regarded as two of the leading contenders for the award.

Yamal said he believed his performances for Barcelona and Spain had given him a strong case for victory.

“The two best players in the world are Mbappe and me, but I believe I deserve the Ballon d’Or this year,” he told Movistar+.

However, Real Madrid-supporting analyst Edu Aguirre has placed a considerable gap between the two players when assessing their individual level.

Speaking on El Chiringuito, Aguirre said Yamal’s progress had impressed him, despite his allegiance to Real Madrid.

“I like Yamal more and more. He plays for Barcelona and I support Real Madrid, but he is a young player I like, and every day I admire him more. He is different,” Aguirre said, as reported by Sport.

The pundit acknowledged that Yamal already belongs among the world’s leading players, but insisted the teenager remains well behind Mbappe.

“It is clear that he is among the best players in the world, but he is four levels below Mbappe,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre argued that the debate could be closer when Yamal is compared with other players, but not when the comparison is made with Mbappe.

He suggested Raphinha and Olise as players whose individual seasons could reasonably be weighed against Yamal’s.

“There could be a debate here about who was better individually this year, Raphinha or Lamine. That is a valid discussion. Or whether Olise was better than Lamine,” he said.

“But if you are talking about individual level, Mbappe is three or four levels above the rest of the players.”

Aguirre also made clear that his view of Yamal was not negative. He said the Barcelona player’s ability was highly impressive, while maintaining that Mbappe remained clearly superior.

“I like Lamine a lot, I really like him, but Mbappe is the best player in the world. He is a long way ahead,” Aguirre added.