The Barcelona forward positioned himself alongside Kylian Mbappé among the best in the world and stated that he deserves the highest individual recognition
At just 19 years old, Lamine Yamal has already positioned himself at the center of major discussions in world football. After a season marked by his titles with Barcelona and, above all, with Spain, the forward made it clear once again his enormous confidence and took a stand in the race for the Ballon d'Or, to the point of placing himself above Kylian Mbappé.
In an interview with Jorge Valdano for Movistar Plus, the attacker was asked who should receive the highest individual recognition awarded by France Football. First, he avoided giving an immediate answer and stated: "Who would I give it to? The best player in the world. Who are they going to give it to? That's already a very long conversation".
However, minutes later he was much more emphatic. Yamal stated: "I honestly believe that the best in the world are two of us and this year I deserve it for what I have won. For me, Mbappé and I are the two best in the world. For me, it's clear and everyone who watches the matches knows it".
The player's confidence was also evident when reflecting on his participation in the World Cup. Although Spain managed to win the title, he acknowledged that he was dissatisfied with his level and assured that he could have done more. "After winning the World Cup, I wasn't happy. The injury is true, but it has nothing to do with it. I know that if the World Cup were to repeat itself at another time, I would have been at the same level if I hadn't had the injury", Yamal explained.
The winger also highlighted some aspects of his contribution that, as he considered, were not always visible to the public. "I did many things that people didn't see. For example, I think it's incredible for the coach to have a player who draws three players, but I wasn't happy with myself because I know that another player with my performance would have had a great World Cup, but for me, I could have done more. I did help the team, but I am very eager for the next one", he stated.
In his World Cup appearance, Yamal scored one goal and had no assists in eight matches, and had a discreet participation in the final against Argentina. Nevertheless, his analysis was far from being satisfied with what he achieved and pointed directly to what he aims to build during the rest of his career.
Lamine Yamal was not satisfied with his World Cup
In this sense, the Barcelona player compared himself to some of the greatest figures in history and mentioned Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Diego Maradona. "There have been great stars in football, like Leo (Messi), like Cristiano (Ronaldo) or Diego (Maradona), whom I haven't been able to see, but never before has someone won so much so early", he stated.
Finally, Yamal also recalled Pele as another exceptional case of precocity, although he emphasized that he believes his own collection of titles came at a particularly young age. "There's the case of Pelé, who did win many things early, but recently not. And there are people who think that because I have won at some point, I will relax, but I know I have a thousand things to do to stay in football history", he concluded.
