Barcelona star Lamine Yamal says he will not beg for the Ballon d’Or trophy after winning the World Cup with Spain and LaLiga with the Catalan giants.
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe, on Monday, made his case to win the trophy, highlighting his World Cup Golden Boot win, which also saw him become the competition’s all-time top goalscorer.
Yamal, 19, thought he had played very well while winning trophies for club and country but said he was happy to let others decide whether he deserved the prize.
The teenager, Mbappe, Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembele, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are the main candidates to win the award at the ceremony in London on October 26.
Yamal said on Tuesday: “I don’t think I need to make a campaign for it. I’m not thinking about what I deserve, everyone can think what they like.
“I’m proud of everything I’ve done this year with my club and with the national team. We’ve become world champions, we’ve won the league again. I can’t ask for anything more.
“I’ve shown an incredible level, it’s the media’s job and I will not beg for anything.”
Yamal came second in last year’s Ballon d’Or voting behind PSG star Dembele.
Dembele recently told France Football that Kvaratskhelia, Kane, and Mbappe would be in his top three to win the award.
“He’s a friend of Kylian, right?” joked Yamal of the French winger, formerly of Barcelona.
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“The truth is I don’t care, I’m very happy with the year I had, when I played against both of them together I must have annoyed them.”
Spain knocked out France in the World Cup semi-finals with a convincing 2-0 victory.
Yamal suffered a hamstring injury in April and has only just returned to his best level.
The winger appeared unhappy at the start of the season but seemed far more cheerful as he netted two goals against Rayo Vallecano and Valencia in his last two outings.
He added: “In the end, I’m 19, coming off winning a World Cup, having had the best holidays of my life.
“I’ve never been happier at any point in my life than I am now.”
Yamal will be the favourite to win a third consecutive best young player award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
He was one of 10 players nominated on Tuesday, including Johan Manzambi, Yan Diomande, and Ayyoub Bouaddi, who all impressed at the World Cup and were then the subject of big-money summer transfers.
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