Liverpool winger backs Lamine Yamal for Ballon d’Or: ‘He has merit’ | OneFootball

The race for the Ballon d’Or is slowly but surely turning into a two-horse race, primarily after the direct comments that Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal have made.

Both players insist the award should be won by them, and the media has also taken the turn to convert a relatively open race into one between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

From the Catalans’ perspective, Lamine Yamal is the deserved winner after he won two domestic trophies playing a pioneering part in Barcelona’s season.

He then enjoyed a starting role at the FIFA World Cup, and while he was not completely in form owing to his recent return from injury, he did go on to win the title.

Munoz backs Lamine

Speaking to AS in a recent interview, Liverpool star and World Cup winner Victor Munoz was asked who he would hand the Ballon d’Or to this year.

The Ballon d’Or winner? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Without hesitation, the Spanish star stated that Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is the deserving winner and that he had no doubt about the same.

“I would give it to Lamine. He is my teammate in the national team and I think he has made merits to conquer it.”

“Any player who wins it will be because he deserves it, but my choice would be Lamine,” he added.

Munoz reflects on La Masia spell

Munoz, who secured a big move to Liverpool this summer, then spoke on how he has been a part of both Barcelona and Real Madrid’s academies, and the differences between them that stood out to him.

“Both are impressive and I have been able to take the best of each one,” he began diplomatically.

Munoz spent a few years at La Masia. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Recounting his days in La Masia, the Spanish winger said,

“At Barça I was very small, but they allowed me to learn the associative work and incorporate into my game the methodology and their own DNA that they try to instil there in all the youth players.”

Comparing La Fabrica to La Masia, the player explained how the style of training was more direct.

“In Madrid, it is another type of game, more direct and that was very good for me for my qualities. I’m grateful to have been in both.”