Lamine Yamal, a Barcelona forward, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the selection criteria for the Ballon d'Or award. In an interview with Olé, he stated that the award should be given to the best player in the world, not the one who won the Champions League or scored 80 goals. This criticism comes after he was nominated for the award and has a chance of winning it.
Yamal believes that the best player in the world is the one who makes you enjoy watching him play because he is different from the others. He also stated that he should win the Ballon d'Or, alongside Kylian Mbappé, who he considers to be the two best players in the world. The next Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held on Monday, October 26, 2026, in London, England.