Lamine Yamal speaks frankly about the Golden Ball award

(Dan Tri) - Sharing with the press, Lamine Yamal talked about the Golden Ball award as well as his biggest rival in this race, Ousmane Dembele.

At the age of 17, Lamine Yamal had a brilliant season. He contributed greatly to Barcelona winning the domestic double of La Liga and the Spanish King's Cup. However, Los Blaugrana were eliminated in the semi-finals after losing to Inter Milan.

Yamal and Dembele are strong candidates for the Ballon d'Or award (Photo: ESPN).

According to statistics, Yamal has contributed 18 goals and 17 assists for Barcelona in all competitions this season. He is considered a strong candidate to compete for the Golden Ball award with Ousmane Dembele (PSG), who just won the Champions League title.

Notably, Yamal will go head-to-head with Dembele on Thursday night when Spain take on France in the Nations League semi-finals. Ahead of the game, Yamal was asked about the Ballon d'Or race with Dembele.

In response, the 17-year-old striker said: “This award is to honor the best player of the year. I am confident that Spain can win against France. However, regardless of the result of the match, I will still vote for the best player.

What if the match doesn't go as I and Dembele expected? Will you vote for someone else? I'm someone who appreciates the contributions of the players throughout the year, but if I want to bet my fate on the upcoming match, I'm also ready to fight Dembele."

Yamal insists he is not interested in the Ballon d'Or award (Photo: Getty).

When asked who he would vote for if he had the right to vote, Yamal replied: “I would vote for the best player of the year. As for who I would vote for, I would like to keep that a secret.”

Yamal insists he is not trying to chase the Ballon d'Or award. Instead, if he tries to win many titles, this prestigious award will come to him. The star born in 2007 said: "I am not obsessed with the Ballon d'Or award. I never wonder if I will win it or not. Everything will be bad if you only think about the Ballon d'Or award.

I just want to go out there and win trophies like the Champions League or the World Cup. When I succeed, the Ballon d'Or will come. The most important thing is to enjoy football."

Dembele also refused to talk about the Ballon d'Or ahead of the clash with Yamal. The PSG striker said: "I am only focused on the performance of the team, not thinking about individual titles. The Ballon d'Or may cross my mind but my priority is the team."

The Nations League semi-final between Spain and France takes place at 2am on June 6.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/lamine-yamal-noi-thang-ve-giai-qua-bong-vang-20250603125934444.htm