No campaign, just ten reasons why Yamal should win the Ballon d’Or

Lamine Yamal said he would not campaign for the Ballon d’Or or beg anyone for votes. Barcelona’s media circle has respected that position in a rather creative way. Hansi Flick, Deco and João Cancelo have backed him, Gerard Piqué has placed him among the favourites, and “Sport” has now published ten reasons why the award should go to the Barcelona winger.

There is no campaign, apparently. Only a carefully timed stream of endorsements, articles and arguments that somehow keeps arriving at the same conclusion.

YAMAL WANTED HIS FOOTBALL TO SPEAK

Speaking before Barcelona’s Champions League meeting with Feyenoord, Yamal said he did not need to campaign for the award. He argued that voters should judge what he had achieved with his club and the Spanish national team.

It was a sensible response. The 19-year-old won LaLiga with Barcelona and lifted the World Cup with Spain. His place on the 30-player shortlist is fully justified, and he has a credible case without having to manufacture one himself.

Yamal can concentrate on playing. The promotional work is clearly being handled elsewhere.

FLICK CHANGED HIS MESSAGE AFTER FEYENOORD

Flick initially avoided endorsing one specific candidate. Before the Feyenoord match, he said Barcelona had several outstanding players and that choosing the Ballon d’Or winner was not his job.

His message became considerably clearer after Barcelona’s 5–1 victory. Flick said there was nobody like Yamal and declared that his player deserved the award.

“El País”, citing club sources, reported that Flick had spoken with Barcelona executives about publicly supporting Yamal between those two statements. The winger had just scored a free-kick in the 5–1 win, providing the perfect moment for another chapter in the story.

One match cannot settle an award based on an entire season. It can, however, provide excellent material for a campaign that officially does not exist.

TEN REASONS, ZERO CAMPAIGNING

“Sport” has now joined the discussion with an article listing ten reasons why Yamal should win. It is presented as an assessment of his candidacy, but its arrival after several public endorsements makes the broader direction fairly obvious.

Flick has backed him. Deco has done the same. Cancelo said the winner “has to be” Yamal, while Piqué placed the youngster alongside Harry Kane and Rodri as one of his three leading candidates.

Every individual is entitled to an opinion. It becomes harder to describe the collection of those opinions as spontaneous when they repeatedly appear within the same few days and all carry an identical message.

A STRONG CASE IN A STRONG FIELD

None of this diminishes Yamal’s football. He is a World Cup winner, a LaLiga champion and one of the most exciting players of his generation. His nomination does not need to be rescued by friendly headlines.

The competition is also real. Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club appearances for Bayern Munich, won a domestic double and reached the World Cup semi-finals with England. Rodri, Kylian Mbappé, reigning winner Ousmane Dembélé and Lionel Messi are also among the 30 nominees.

The winner will be announced in London on October 26. That leaves plenty of time for more endorsements, rankings and carefully assembled lists. Not a campaign, of course. Just a candidate who somehow appears in a new promotional episode every day.