Lamine Yamal explains why Harry Kane and Dembele don't deserve Ballon d'Or

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has dismissed the Ballon d'Or credentials of Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Paris Saint-Germain duo Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, arguing the award should not be dictated by team trophies or goalscoring volume.

The 19-year-old Spain international addressed the criteria for the prestigious award ahead of the October 26 ceremony in London, stating that the wrong metrics are being prioritised. 

He specifically referenced Paris Saint-Germain's 2025/26 UEFA Champions League triumph, which has propelled the candidatures of wingers Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia.

“The problem now is that people are valuing things that don’t help win the Ballon d’Or. When they say that a PSG player has to win it because they won the Champions League,” Yamal stated.

“When you win the Champions League, they give you the Champions League trophy, which is for the best team, and the prize PSG has. Another different thing is that in PSG there is the best player in the world.”

Yamal also addressed players who rely on high goal-scoring output to build their case, an apparent reference to Kane.

The England international's candidacy hinges on his individual output after securing the 2025/26 European Golden Shoe with Bayern Munich.

“The Ballon d’Or has to be given to the best player in the world, and that's it. Not to a player who simply scores 80 goals, because when you score 80 goals, they give you the 'top-scorer' award of the season,” Yamal explained.

The Barcelona academy graduate concluded that the award should reflect individual brilliance rather than collective achievements or volume statistics.

“They are different things that people are not understanding. The best player in the world is the one that you, as a commentator, are watching the game and you are enjoying it, is different from everyone,” Yamal added.

The comments further fuel a heated 2026 Ballon d'Or race that currently has no clear consensus favourite among the leading candidates.

Yamal's argument aligns with his previous public statements, where he framed the competition as a contest between himself and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé before stating he deserved the award over the France international.

Yamal strengthened his own candidacy by winning the 2025/26 LALIGA and Supercopa de España titles with Barcelona before securing the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Spain, while Mbappé finished trophyless.