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SportsMoving now · day 7

Lamine Yamal drums up Ballon d'Or case with focus on playing style over goals

The 19-year-old Barcelona star says the award should go to players fans enjoy watching, not goal-scorers.

newest coverage 1h agosummary written 21h ago26 pieces81 likes & upvotes23 comments NewswiresGoogle NewsRedditMastodonX

What to know

  • At 19, Yamal is a leading candidate for the 2026 Ballon d'Or after finishing second last year at age 18.
  • He argues the award should recognize exceptional, entertaining playing style—citing Messi and Ronaldinho as exemplars—rather than goal-scoring volume.
  • Yamal has won La Liga twice, the World Cup with Spain, and the Kopa Trophy twice, buttressing his candidacy beyond individual statistics.
  • His campaign positions him as distinct from competitors like Ousmane Dembélé, with Barcelona backing his bid over teammate Rodri.

“I play to make history, so that 30 years from now the young people will say, 'He was really good too.'”

Lamine Yamal, Barcelona forward · L'Equipe (via Yahoo Sports) ↗ · Sep 21

Lamine YamalLamine Yamal Barcelona forward, World Cup winnerOusmane DembéléOusmane Dembélé PSG forward, 2025 Ballon d'Or winner

Lamine Yamal drums up Ballon d'Or case with focus on playing style over goals
Yahoo Sports

How it unfolded 4 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 4 pieces in two hours at Yesterday, 6 AM; 26 pieces over 7 days (22 articles · 4 posts) Sep 17, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 17, 4 PM — quietSep 17, 6 PM — quietSep 17, 8 PM — quietSep 17, 10 PM — quietSep 18, 12 AM — quietSep 18, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 18, 4 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 8 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 12 PM — quietSep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 4 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Sep 22, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 1, Newswires 1Sep 22, 12 PM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Google News 2, Newswires 1Sep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 4 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 1, Newswires 1Yesterday, 6 AM — 4 pieces · 2 articles · 2 posts — Newswires 2, Mastodon 1, Reddit 1Yesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — X 1Yesterday, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Today, 2 AM — quiet 1–34
Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 3:54 AM ET
  1. 4

    Yamal reiterates style over statistics in latest Ballon d'Or interview

    In another interview with L'Équipe, Yamal reiterated his position that the Ballon d'Or recognizes exceptional, entertaining players rather than goal-scorers, while comparing his candidacy favorably to Ousmane Dembélé's last-year victory.

    “I think that my style of play is my strongest argument and what makes me different.”
    — Lamine Yamal
    1. 1 outlet Lamine Yamal on his Ballon d’Or prospects: ‘I think my style of play is my strongest argument.’

      first by Yahoo Sports, 23h ago

    • Lamine Yamal says the Ballon d'Or should go to the player that makes people smile the most, not whoever has scored the most goals 👀

      @ESPNFCX15h ago81▲view on X ↗
  2. 3

    Yamal reflects on second-place finish, vows to win Ballon d'Or eventually

    Speaking to L'Equipe, Yamal reframed his second-place finish last year at age 18 as an achievement rather than a disappointment, while expressing unwavering confidence that he will win the award. He also articulated his broader ambition to make history in football.

    “I see it as an achievement. I finished second at 18 years.”
    — Lamine Yamal
    1. 2 outlets Lamine Yamal talks Raphinha, Messi, new signings, Champions League, World Cup, Ballon d’Or: ‘I play to make history’

      first by Yahoo Sports, 1d ago · also Barca Universal

  3. 2

    Yamal tells France Football playing style is his strongest argument

    In an interview with France Football, Yamal elaborated on his Ballon d'Or candidacy, arguing that his entertaining style of play is what differentiates him and noting his trophy wins with Barcelona and Spain bolster his case.

    “The Ballon d'Or, as you rightly say, is the trophy that rewards the best player of the year, the exceptional player, the one you enjoy watching play, to the point of watching a match just for him.”
    — Lamine Yamal
  4. 1

    Yamal defines Ballon d'Or as award for players fans want to watch

    Yamal posted a video statement on Reddit articulating his philosophy on what the Ballon d'Or should represent, citing Messi and Ronaldinho as examples of exceptional players whose style transcends pure statistics.

    “Ballon d'Or should be for the player that you go to a match to see him play. That you enjoy him. Not about how many goals you scored.”
    — Lamine Yamal

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 3 outlets Lamine Yamal vs Kylian Mbappé: The Fight For The 70th Ballon d’Or Is On

    first by Stadium Rant, 22h ago · also Evening Standard, Yahoo Sports

    2 more headlines
  2. 2 outlets “It’s about joy, not numbers”: Yamal challenges goal obsession as he bids to become youngest-ever Ballon d’Or winner

    first by Yahoo Sports, 21h ago · also ESPN Soccer

    1 more headline
  3. 2 outlets ‘My greatest strength’ - Lamine Yamal talks up Ballon d’Or hopes as he aims to follow in footsteps of Lionel Messi & Ronaldinho

    first by Barca Blaugranes, 1d ago · also Yahoo Sports

and 3 smaller pieces