By Adegboyega Adeleye
Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has said the Ballon d’Or should not be decided by the number of goals a player scores, but by the player who brings the most joy to football fans.
Yamal made the remarks in an interview with L’Equipe, as he remains in contention for this year’s award after finishing second to Ousmane Dembélé last year.
The 19-year-old is among the leading contenders for the prize, alongside Dembélé, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane.
The winner will be crowned at a ceremony in London on October 26.
Yamal said the presence of several contenders had created more debate, with the final decision resting with journalists.
“It’s fun that there are more players [up for the prize], more debate and people can have different opinions,” Yamal told L’Equipe.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to the journalists. It’s a difficult job for them. We all have good arguments to win it. We are all great players, so let’s see.
“The Ballon d’Or is for the best player of the year, someone different, someone we have enjoyed watching, who has that magic, makes you smile and look forward to watching games just to see them play.
“It’s not to do with the sheer number of goals. When I think of the Ballon d’Or, I think of [Lionel] Messi, Ronaldinho… different players, players that make you dream.”
Kane scored 61 goals for Bayern, who won the Bundesliga, while Mbappé scored 42 for Real Madrid without winning a trophy last season.
Yamal scored 24 goals, while Dembélé scored 20 for Paris Saint-Germain, who won the European title.
Yamal also believes his style of play and his success with Spain strengthen his case for the award.
“On the pitch I enjoy myself,” he added. “I have also been lucky enough to win a lot of trophies with Barcelona.
“And I won the biggest trophy of them all, the World Cup with my national team. But beyond all that, I think the way I play is the strongest argument and what makes me different.”
Yamal, still a teenager, has already won the European Championships and World Cup with Spain, while the Champions League remains the only major team trophy he is yet to win.
He admitted that winning the Ballon d’Or is one of his ambitions, but said he does not regard it as an obsession.
“Yes, I dream of winning [the Ballon d’Or],” he said. “I always say that everyone has to aim as high as possible. If I was a waiter, I would want to own the restaurant.
“I play to make history, so that in 30 years kids say: ‘He was really good.’ But it’s not an obsession. I never think ‘I want to be better than Pele or Messi.’ I don’t want to compare myself with others.
“I want to be Lamine Yamal. I want to be remembered as Lamine Yamal. I hope to be remembered among the greats. I have the capacity to do it; it depends on me.”
Meanwhile, Kane’s Bayern teammate Luis Díaz backed the England striker as his choice for the award in an interview with ESPN.
“I already knew he scored loads of goals, but training with him every day, seeing his mentality, he has dazzled me even more,” Díaz said.
“It’s difficult to sum him up in one word. Brutal, maybe… magnificent. For me, it’s hard to find the perfect word to describe him.
“For me, he’s the No.1 candidate to win the Ballon d’Or. I hope he wins it.”
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