Lamine Yamal and Dembele stir up the Ballon d'Or race

Lamine Yamal is a strong candidate for the Ballon d'Or award.

After Rodri's historic victory last year, Spanish football continues to place great expectations on a new name: Lamine Yamal.

Just 18 years old, the Barcelona prodigy has had an explosive season, contributing greatly to the Camp Nou team's domestic treble with 18 goals and 22 assists in 55 games. Not just a teenage phenomenon, Yamal is proving to be a true pillar of both Barcelona and the national team.

However, Yamal's biggest rival in this race comes from Paris: Ousmane Dembele. The French winger had the best season of his career, leading PSG to a domestic treble and especially the first Champions League title in the club's history.

With 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 games, Dembele has far surpassed what he previously showed at Barcelona.

In the previous vote, there were 6 Spanish players on the shortlist including Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Dani Carvajal, Alex Grimaldo, Nico Williams and Dani Olmo. However, the current season has seen a big change.

Rodri and Carvajal have been largely sidelined through injury. Olmo has fallen out of favour at Barcelona, while Grimaldo and Nico Williams have both failed to replicate last season's form.

Competing with Lamine Yamal will be Ousmane Dembele.

Instead, new names are emerging. Pedri had a full season without injury, returning to play as the conductor of Barcelona's style of play. Fabian Ruiz was an indispensable cog in PSG's European Championship-winning squad, helping to affirm the position of Spanish players at the highest level.

Besides the rise of young talents, many big names are facing the risk of leaving the top 30. Artem Dovbyk, Phil Foden, Emiliano Martínez, Antonio Rüdiger... are names that are likely to be removed from the list due to poor performance or limited contributions this season.

In contrast, a promising new generation is ready to take the stage. Raphinha, Desire Doue, Julian Alvarez, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Robert Lewandowski have all had impressive seasons, with statistics and performances that would put them in contention for the nomination. Some of them could even make the top 10 if they continue their form until the end of the season.

This year's Ballon d'Or race promises to be not only a competition between two outstanding individuals, but also clearly reflects a generational transition, where new stars like Lamine Yamal are rising strongly to rewrite history.

Source: https://znews.vn/lamine-yamal-va-dembele-khuay-dao-cuoc-dua-qua-bong-vang-post1574837.html