With the battle for the Ballon d’Or heating up, the media coverage of the award resembles an election cycle. Players are up in arms campaigning for their shot at the coveted trophy. FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal initially said he wouldn’t “beg” for it, but even he gave in and began saying that the award should go to him. He added that he and Kylian Mbappé are the two best players in the world, an indirect dig at Bayern Munich star Harry Kane.
Such a statement is sure to garner reactions. Lothar Matthäus,
a former Ballon d’Or winner himself, disagrees.
“He’s an exceptional player, but despite the major success, it wasn’t Lamine Yamal’s year,” said the former Bayern Munich legend (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “He was ‘one of many’ in Spain’s World Cup campaign and hasn’t quite reached the level he had in the past, and that he has again this season. That doesn’t mean he has no chance in the vote. He has everything it takes to be a Ballon d’Or winner. I believe that titles play a decisive role, which is why I see his chances as better than those of Mbappé, who hasn’t won anything this year with Real Madrid or France.”
Matthäus repeated his advocacy for Kane, being one of the strongest voices in the Englishman’s favor.
“I still see Harry Kane as the favourite. He won the Golden Shoe, scored at the World Cup, and scored important goals in the Champions League. Furthermore, he won two titles with Bayern and reached the semi-finals of both the Champions League and the World Cup,” said Matthäus.
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona fans won’t like that at all, but Matthäus clearly has a point. Kane is still considered a frontrunner, but the odds show that the gap is narrowing. Who will win the award in the end?
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