Barcelona captain Raphinha names his Ballon d’Or favourite: “There is no doubt” | OneFootball

As the month of October inches closer, the debate about who will win this year’s Ballon d’Or is increasingly intensifying. FC Barcelona have three of their players vying for this award this time: Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, and Rodri Hernandez.

Of these three players, Yamal seems the best placed one to win this award this time. Meanwhile, another player who has been overlooked for the award is Raphinha, whose incredible form at the start of the season is already making it clear that his exclusion from the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or was a mistake.

However, the Brazilian is clear about who deserves to win this award, and it is none other than his Barcelona teammate, Lamine Yamal. As Mundo Deportivo has reported, Raphinha appeared in an interview with the English outlet The Guardian, and explained why Yamal deserves to win the award this year:

“Without a doubt, yes. I think winning the Ballon d’Or depends on individual numbers, collective trophies and the magic you have on the pitch. Charisma and all that. Those are the most important points, and Lamine has it all.”

“Lamine has spectacular numbers, not only last season but the season before as well. He has made a spectacular start this season.”

“He has won two of the three trophies with Barça and the World Cup with his national team. He is one of the most important players for Barça and the Spanish national team. For me, there is no doubt: he has to win the award, no matter what. As for what the others say, everyone looks after their own interests, but for me, it is very clear.”

The forward reiterated his points, and assured that he would have picked Yamal even if he was not his teammate:

“Even if I weren’t Lamine’s teammate, because of what he does on the pitch, the numbers he has and the trophies he has won… trophies are very important… For me, he is the candidate; he has to win it.”

There is no doubt that Lamine Yamal has a very strong case to win the Ballon d’Or this year. But several other players are also vying for the award, including the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane, and it remains to be seen whether the top individual prize in Europe will return to Barcelona this year.