Lamine Yamal: Mbappé and I are the best, but Ballon d'Or should be mine

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal told Movistar he and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé are the world's best players, but that he deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or.

• Yamal told Spain's Movistar that he and Mbappé are the world's best players and that he deserves the award for last season's titles.
• Yamal scored twice in Barcelona's 4-2 win over Levante on Sunday, taking his season tally to seven goals in six matches.
• The Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place in London on Oct. 26, with Yamal, Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Ousmane Dembélé among the candidates.
• Yamal said he was not satisfied with his World Cup performance despite Spain's win, and looks forward to the next tournament.
• Yamal called Mbappé his only rival for the award, recalling his runner-up finish to Dembélé in 2025 while Mbappé placed third in 2023.
• Dembélé said the trophy should stay at Paris Saint-Germain after their Champions League triumph.
• Mbappé finished as top scorer in the World Cup, La Liga, and Champions League but won no silverware.
• Former Barcelona defender Abelardo Fernández criticized Yamal's comments, saying he should not publicly claim entitlement to the award and contrasting them with Lionel Messi's humility.