Lamine Yamal has responded with a mixture of humour and confidence after Ousmane Dembélé left him out of his top three contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award.
Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, named Paris Saint-Germain teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé as his three favourites for this year’s prestigious individual award.
Yamal was asked about the omission during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League opener against Feyenoord at Spotify Camp Nou, and his response immediately added another layer to an already intriguing Ballon d’Or debate.
“He’s Kylian Mbappé’s friend, right?” Yamal said with a smile when reminded that Dembélé had not included him in his top three.
The Barcelona forward then played down any tension between the pair, insisting that his relationship with Dembélé remains good despite their fierce competition on the pitch. “My relationship with Ousmane is very good, and I understand that he wants to choose other players.”
Despite everything, Lamine Yamal said that he has done something this season that makes him excited about his chances.
“I’m very happy with the season I had. I think every time we faced each other, I probably did something that made them dislike me and that’s normal.”
“But I’m very happy with what I delivered this year, and I’m confident that everyone watched it, even if he didn’t.”
Lamine Yamal
Yamal’s World Cup Triumph Strengthens His Case
The 19-year-old has a strong case of his own after playing a part in Spain’s successful 2026 World Cup campaign. La Roja defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final to claim the world title, giving Yamal the biggest international trophy available to him.
At club level, Yamal also helped Barcelona retain the La Liga title and win the Spanish Super Cup. The one major omission from his season was the Champions League, with Barcelona failing to add Europe’s biggest club trophy to their campaign.
That could become an important factor in the Ballon d’Or race, particularly against contenders who combined individual brilliance with Champions League success.
Yamal nevertheless enters the race as one of the leading candidates, alongside Kane, Mbappé, Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé. Mbappé has also made clear that he believes his own season merits serious consideration, while Kane has emerged as another major contender following an outstanding campaign for Bayern Munich and England.
Dembélé, meanwhile, has argued that the award could remain with a PSG player. His top three notably contains Kvaratskhelia, while PSG’s Champions League success gives the Georgian a compelling argument despite Georgia’s absence from the World Cup.
Ballon d’Or Race Moves to Final Stage
The 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees are being unveiled on Tuesday, September 8, with 30 players set to make the men’s shortlist.
The announcement will follow the release of the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year nominees, where Africa has three representatives: Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, Senegal’s Édouard Mendy and Cape Verde’s Vozinha.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place in London on October 26, marking the 70th edition of the award and the first time the ceremony has been staged in the English capital.
Dembélé won the men’s prize in 2025, while Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí claimed the women’s award.
The voting will be conducted by 100 specialist journalists, with one representative from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA men’s world rankings. Each voter will rank 10 players from the 30 nominees, with points ranging from 15 for first place to one for 10th.
The award’s criteria place individual performance and decisive impact first, followed by collective achievements and trophies, with class and fair play completing the assessment.
That framework makes Yamal’s World Cup triumph particularly significant, but also leaves room for players such as Kane, Mbappé, Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé to make compelling cases based on their club campaigns.
For Yamal, however, the priority is not campaigning for votes. He believes his performances should speak for themselves.
The Barcelona star now has the chance to strengthen his case on the biggest stage as the Champions League begins, even if the competition for the Ballon d’Or has already produced its first dose of personal rivalry.
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