Lamine Yamal says Ballon d’Or should reward magic as well as goals

Lamine Yamal believes the Ballon d’Or should recognise the joy, creativity and inspiration a player brings to football, rather than simply rewarding the highest goalscorer.

The Barcelona teenager is among the leading candidates for this year’s award after finishing runner-up to Ousmane Dembele last year. The winner will be announced in London on October 26.

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Dembele are also in contention. Kane has the strongest scoring record of the leading candidates, having scored 61 goals for Bayern and helped them win the Bundesliga.

Mbappe scored 42 goals for Real Madrid, while Yamal netted 24. Dembele scored 20 for PSG, who won the European title.

But Yamal does not believe the award should be decided solely by statistics.

Speaking to L’Equipe, he said the Ballon d’Or should celebrate players who offer something distinctive and make football especially enjoyable to watch. He pointed to Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho as examples of footballers whose influence went beyond their goal tallies.

For Yamal, creativity, flair and the ability to produce memorable moments can be just as important as numbers. He believes the best players can make supporters smile, inspire people and persuade them to watch simply because of the experience of seeing them play.

In an interview with TVE, Yamal said relatively few players in modern European football play in the way he does. He added that he tries to bring enjoyment to supporters and identified Neymar as an important influence because of the Brazilian’s ability to entertain.

Yamal’s own style is central to his case for the award, although he also has an impressive collection of honours despite being only 19. He has won major trophies with Barcelona and Spain, including the European Championship and World Cup.

The Champions League is one of the significant team honours still missing from his collection.

Although winning the Ballon d’Or is clearly an ambition, Yamal insists it is not an obsession. His wider aim is to leave a lasting mark on football instead of constantly measuring himself against players such as Messi or Pele.

The leading contenders offer contrasting claims. Kane combines prolific goalscoring with a Bundesliga title, Mbappe delivered another high-scoring campaign, and Dembele’s performances were accompanied by European success. Yamal’s credentials include creativity, goals, club honours and international success.

Kane has also received public backing from Bayern team-mate Luis Diaz, who praised the striker’s performances and mentality.

The award will be decided by journalists, with the nominees representing different views of what makes the world’s best player. For Yamal, that definition must include more than goals and statistics: it should also reflect the ability to make people dream, enjoy football and look forward to watching the game.