Doesn’t deserve the Ballon d’Or? Yamal takes a dig at Bayern star Harry Kane | OneFootball

With the Ballon d’Or vote fast approaching, the race for the coveted award is heating up. Now, Lamine Yamal has spoken at length about the criteria he believes should be used to award the prize. One statement in particular is drawing attention, as it could certainly be interpreted as a dig at Bayern striker Harry Kane.

In an interview with Movistar, the 19-year-old explained that, in his view, neither the number of goals scored nor the titles won should automatically determine who receives the Ballon d’Or. For Yamal, the only decisive factor should be who is actually the best soccer player in the world.

What’s particularly striking: Yamal cited as an example a player who has scored 80 goals. The Barça star did not name anyone specifically, however. Given Kane’s extraordinary goal-scoring rate and his role in the current Ballon d’Or race, it’s at least reasonable to assume that his statement could also be directed at the Bayern striker. However, it has not been confirmed that Kane was, in fact, the one he was referring to.

“I think the Ballon d’Or should go to the best player in the world, period. Not to a player who’s scored 80 goals, because if you score 80 goals, you get the ‘top scorer’ award for it. Those are two very different things that people don’t understand.”

Yamal calls for a different approach to the Ballon d’Or

For Yamal, the selection is primarily about a player’s individual quality. The Spaniard describes the world’s best soccer player as someone whose extraordinary abilities are immediately apparent to viewers.

“The best player in the world is the one who, when you’re watching a game as a commentator, makes you enjoy it—you see him and think, ‘This is a player who stands out from everyone else.’ – If the award goes to the best player—not to the one who scores the most goals or has won the most titles—then it will regain its true value.”

Yamal had already made it clear that he considers himself a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or. In the same Movistar interview, he described himself and Kylian Mbappé as the two best players in the world and stated that, in his opinion, he deserved the award this year.

This sets his approach apart significantly from Kane’s. The Bayern star had recently told *Marca* that he is reluctant to talk about his own performances and that the decision rests with the voters anyway.

Kane lets his stats do the talking

Photo: IMAGO

Kane did, however, highlight his exceptional season. “The only thing I’d say is that last season was incredible, both personally and as a team. It was by far the best season of my life. It’s true that 73 goals—the second-highest tally in history—speak for themselves.”

It is precisely this emphasis on goal totals that makes Yamal’s statement particularly interesting. The Barça star explicitly questions whether an extraordinary goal tally alone should be the deciding factor for the Ballon d’Or.

Whether he was actually targeting Kane with this remains unclear. Yamal did not mention the Bayern star by name and spoke generally about the criteria for the award. One thing is clear, however: With just a few weeks to go before the vote, the candidates are taking increasingly clear stances—and in doing so, are expressing very different views on what should define a Ballon d’Or winner.