Yamal Names Only Mbappé As His Biggest Ballon d’Or Rival

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has identified Kylian Mbappé as his only serious rival in the race for this year’s Ballon d’Or award.

According to Ireporter Online, Yamal believes his outstanding individual performances, combined with Barcelona’s success and Spain’s triumph at the World Cup, have strengthened his claim to win the prestigious individual prize.

The teenage forward was named LaLiga’s best player for the 2025-26 season after playing a key role in Barcelona’s successful title defence. He also contributed significantly to Spain’s World Cup success in North America.

Yamal, who finished second in last year’s Ballon d’Or voting behind Ousmane Dembélé, said he believes only Mbappé can seriously challenge him for the award this year.

Speaking in an interview clip shared by Movistar, Yamal said he deserved to win the prize based on the trophies he had secured during the campaign.

“I honestly believe there are two of us who are the best in the world, and this year I’d deserve it because of what I’ve won,” he said.

The Barcelona star went on to name Mbappé as the only player he considers to be on the same level in this year’s race.

“As far as I’m concerned, Mbappé and I are the two best in the world. It’s clear to me and everyone who watches the matches knows it,” Yamal added.

Mbappé, meanwhile, enjoyed an impressive individual campaign, finishing as the leading scorer in the World Cup, LaLiga and Champions League. However, the French forward ended the season without a major team trophy.

Despite that, Mbappé remains one of the leading contenders for the Ballon d’Or, having previously finished third in the 2023 voting won by Lionel Messi.

Yamal’s latest comments come as he seeks to go one step further than his runner-up finish last year and claim the biggest individual honour in world football.