Lamine Yamal responds to Dembélé as the Ballon d’Or campaign that “doesn’t exist” rolls on

Barcelona’s press conference was supposed to be about the Champions League opener against Feyenoord. Inevitably, the discussion soon moved towards individual awards, Ousmane Dembélé and another episode in Lamine Yamal’s increasingly familiar Ballon d’Or storyline.

Yamal was reminded that Dembélé, the current holder of the award, had not included him in his personal top three for 2026.

“Who didn’t put me in his top three? Dembélé? He’s Kylian’s friend, right?” the Barcelona forward replied with a laugh.

DEMBÉLÉ CHOSE MBAPPÉ, KANE AND KVARATSKHELIA

Speaking to “France Football”, Dembélé named Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Paris Saint-Germain teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as his three leading candidates, without placing them in a particular order.

He did not dismiss Yamal completely. The Frenchman subsequently mentioned him alongside Michael Olise, Fabián Ruiz and Willian Pacho when discussing other players in contention. The distinction matters: Yamal was left out of the top three, but he was not ignored altogether.

It was also Dembélé’s personal prediction rather than an official ballot. The Ballon d’Or is decided by an international jury of football journalists, so his selection has no direct influence on the final result.

After the initial joke, Yamal played down the issue. He said that he gets along well with Dembélé, accepts that the Frenchman can choose other players and does not need to remind him what kind of season he has produced.

No dispute, then. Just a carefully timed reminder attached to the assurance that no reminder was required.

NO CAMPAIGN, JUST PLENTY OF CAMPAIGN MATERIAL

Earlier in the same press conference, Yamal insisted that he did not need to campaign for the Ballon d’Or and would not beg for the award. He believes that his performances for Barcelona and Spain already provide a strong enough case.

The player can hardly be blamed for answering the questions placed in front of him. The more revealing part is how quickly almost every Barcelona media appearance involving Yamal becomes an awards discussion. Feyenoord and the Champions League were on the schedule, but the Ballon d’Or once again took over the room.

Yamal does not need to conduct a formal campaign. Barcelona’s media environment is capable of turning one amused response into another full round of promotion without requiring much assistance from him.

LAST YEAR’S RESULT ADDS EXTRA CONTEXT

Dembélé defeated Yamal in the 2025 vote. The Paris Saint-Germain forward collected 1,380 points, while the Barcelona player finished second with 1,059. It was a clear victory rather than a result decided by a handful of votes.

Both names are now back in the conversation. Dembélé has identified his preferred candidates, Yamal has responded with humour, and the surrounding noise has taken care of everything else.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or winner will be announced in London on 26 October. Until then, everyone can continue insisting that there is no campaign while providing fresh campaign material at practically every opportunity.