Lamine Yamar believes winning the World Cup with Spain should help his Ballon d’Or hopes, with Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe seen as his main rivals.
Yamal helped La Roja win a second world title in North America this year, although his personal impact in the event was limited after his 2025-26 season ended prematurely with a hamstring injury.
Last season, he played 45 games in all competitions, contributing 24 goals and 17 assists to help Barcelona defend the La Liga title. His 41 goals combined ranked sixth among players in Europe’s top five leagues.
Yamal also attempted the most dribbles (429) and completed the most dribbles (225) of any player, while he also created the most chances with the ball (59).
On Tuesday, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente announced that one of his players should win the award, just as Rodri did during their Euro 2024 triumph.
As the Oct. 26 ceremony approaches, Yamal doesn’t hesitate to express his opinion, which he agrees with.
“This award is given to the player of the year, he is a special player, he is a pleasure to watch, he has magic, he makes you smile, he makes you want to watch a game just for him,” Yamal told L’Equipe.
“I think the way I play is my strongest argument and what makes me special.
“In addition to being a good player, it’s also important for your team to win.
“My advantage is that I can win the World Cup this year, which is obviously an advantage for me.
“But if a person says, ‘Messi deserves it’ or ‘Rodri deserves it’, that’s completely respectable.”
Two months ago. We made history.
same day. That feeling. It was a moment we will never forget.
Where were you when all this happened? #VamosSpain | #FIFAWorld Cup pic.twitter.com/U2Y3ezKekM
– Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) September 19, 2026
Yamal, who has often been compared to Messi after his debut at Barcelona, impressed in the World Cup final as Spain beat Argentina in extra time.
But the 19-year-old wants to be remembered on his own terms, saying: “I play to make history so that in 30 years, young people will say, ‘He was really good too’.”
“But I don’t want to compare myself to anyone. I want to be Lamin Yamal, I want to be remembered as Lamin Yamal, I want to be one of the greats.”
Yamal will feature for Spain on Saturday as they travel to Wembley to face England in their Nations League opener as they look to defend their 38-game unbeaten run (29 wins and 9 draws), the longest unbeaten streak in the history of a European nation.