Yamal Names His Only Ballon d’Or Rival—and It Isn’t Kane

• Yamal says only Kylian Mbappe rivals him for this year’s Ballon d’Or
• Spain’s World Cup and Barcelona’s La Liga titles fuel his claim
• Harry Kane still tipped by many after a 73-goal season

Lamine Yamal isn’t hiding. The Barcelona sensation reckons there are just two players at the top of the tree this year—him and Kylian Mbappe—and on balance he feels he should edge it. It’s a bold line when plenty have Harry Kane as the frontrunner, but after a FIFA World Cup win with Spain and another La Liga title with Barcelona, you can see why he’s talking with his chest. If you fancy weighing up the odds yourself, our guide to the best football betting sites has you covered.

Why Yamal Fancies His Chances

Voted La Liga’s standout performer in 2025–26 as Barca retained the crown, Yamal then drove Spain to glory across North America. Speaking to Movistar, he effectively said it’s a two-horse race: him and Mbappe—and given what he’s actually lifted, he believes he deserves it. Mbappe, for his part, has fired in goals for fun—top scorer in the World Cup, La Liga and the Champions League—but finished the campaign without silverware after switching to Real Madrid. It’s the classic debate: medals versus monster numbers.

Where This Leaves Kane And The Field

Here’s the twist: many still see England captain Harry Kane as favourite. Seventy-three goals for club and country is outrageous by any standard, and he did win the Bundesliga and the German Cup with Bayern Munich. The flip side? PSG—powered by Ousmane Dembele—stopped Bayern in the Champions League semi-finals, while England fell 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semis before beating France 6-4 in the third-place play-off.

Context matters. Yamal was runner-up last year when Dembele took the prize, and Mbappe placed third back in 2023 when Lionel Messi landed a record eighth Ballon d’Or. This year’s 30-man shortlist includes all three: Yamal, Mbappe and Dembele. With the ceremony set for London on 26 October, voters are staring at a fascinating choice—Yamal’s honours haul, Mbappe’s goal-scoring blitz, or Kane’s relentless output. My take? If you value winning above all else, Yamal’s case is razor sharp. If you’re swayed by sheer volume of goals, Kane and Mbappe won’t be far off that podium.

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