Lamine Yamal spurns Ballon d'Or campaign, eyes Champions League

In the press room at the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, 19, said his two priorities are winning the Champions League and not begging for the Ballon d'Or, emphasizing that he will not campaign to be named the best player of the year.

The Spanish international explained that he does not think he needs a campaign and that everyone can think what they want, but he will not beg for anything.

Yamal recalled a good season that included a double in the League and the Super Cup, and highlighted his involvement in the Spanish national team that won the World Cup.

He also commented that he is not worried about the assessment of former blaugrana and now PSG player Ousmane Dembélé, who did not include him among his three favorites for the Ballon d'Or, and joked about his friendship with Kylian Mbappé.

Rejection of the Ballon d'Or campaign

The forward insisted that “I don’t think I need it, to campaign” and that his objective does not depend on him, but on the voters.

“It doesn’t depend on me, it depends on you. We have had a great year with Barça and the national team. We’ll see,” he reiterated, making clear his stance of not seeking the vote.

Goals and vision for the season

Yamal noted that the Champions League is his top motivation, describing it as the most special tournament and trusting the new signings such as Gordon, Rodri, Adeyemi and Joao to achieve it.

He recently took on one of Barça’s captaincies and, at 19, sees it as a pride and a responsibility that he appreciates from his teammates.

He explained that he manages fame and pressure thanks to the locker‑room environment, where he lives with players with much more experience, and the support of his family, which keeps his feet on the ground.

For the new season, Yamal wants to “win more titles” collectively and “keep growing and improving” personally, recalling that “I am very young” and has a lot ahead.