Yamal: Spain-France can be Ballon d'Or decider

Barcelona prima Lamine Yamal is blessed to measure Spain's UEFA Nations League semifinal against France arsenic a Ballon d'Or decider betwixt him and Ousmane Dembélé if that's what radical want.

Yamal, 17, is successful the moving to triumph the coveted idiosyncratic grant aft an outstanding season, arsenic is teammate Raphinha, but Dembelé whitethorn person moved up of them some aft helping Paris Saint-Germain triumph the Champions League past weekend.

"Who bash you ballot for: the champion subordinate this play oregon whoever wins the crippled connected Thursday?" Yamal told Cope erstwhile asked astir the contention betwixt him and Dembelé to triumph the Ballon d'Or.

"For me, it's the champion subordinate crossed the full year, but everyone sees it their ain way. I americium assured we volition triumph Thursday, but whether we triumph oregon not, I would ballot for the champion subordinate implicit the full year.

"If connected Thursday it doesn't spell arsenic maine oregon Dembelé want, past who bash you ballot for? Someone playing connected Sunday [in the final]? For me, it's based connected the full year, but if radical privation to enactment it each connected Thursday, past let's play."

Yamal, who scored 18 goals and acceptable up 25 much successful 55 appearances arsenic Barça won a home treble this season, would not uncover wherever his ballot would go, though helium did accidental helium thought Raphinha had been the champion guardant successful the Champions League.

He besides insisted winning the Ballon d'Or is not a large nonsubjective for him, pointing retired that Champions League and World Cup glory with Barça and Spain respectively is his purpose successful 2026.

"At the extremity of the day, I don't deliberation astir the [Ballon d'Or] oregon if I volition triumph it due to the fact that I judge it volition spell severely if you deliberation you request to triumph the Ballon d'Or oregon that you person to triumph the Ballon d'Or," helium added.

"I deliberation astir playing, winning ... and it volition come. At the extremity of the day, if adjacent twelvemonth I triumph the Champions League and the World Cup, it volition come. It's astir enjoying yourself and it volition get erstwhile it has to arrive."

Holders Spain conscionable France successful Stuttgart connected Thursday with the winners past facing either Portugal oregon Germany successful the last connected Sunday. The crippled is simply a rematch of the European Championship semifinal from past summer, erstwhile Yamal, who signed a caller Barça woody past week, was connected people arsenic Spain bushed France 2-1 connected their mode to winning the competition.

France midfielder Adrien Rabiot had questioned Yamal up of that game, with the Barça winger utilizing that arsenic an illustration to explicate however helium likes to usage disapproval to motivate himself earlier games.

"To beryllium honest, I americium not alert of everything that's said astir me, but a batch of worldly reaches me," helium said. "I mightiness not beryllium looking astatine my phone, but a person phones maine and tells maine this oregon that, truthful I find retired done them. They nonstop maine a batch of worldly from TikTok, bully things; atrocious things sometimes from my 2 closest friends due to the fact that they cognize it motivates me, much than thing earlier a game.

"They nonstop maine worldly 20 minutes earlier a crippled to motivate me. They cognize I'm not tense earlier a match. An example, against France, I was sleeping connected the bus, I woke up and my person phones maine and says, 'Remember what [Rabiot] said astir you.' I respond 'Yes, yes, of people I remember, don't worry.'

"The crippled starts, they score, I look to the stands and my person does a motion to accidental 'Remember.' It gets maine going and I get into that portion of not stopping moving and each that. And that's however it motivates me."

Yamal's teammate for nine and country, Pau Cubarsí, besides highlighted the hazard absorption players look if they upwind the teen up.

"He's a magnificent player," the defender told Marca.

"What he's doing aged 17 astatine the toughest grounds successful Europe is amazing. It's arsenic if helium is 30 years old. "Lamine likes to unopen mouths. If you messiness with him, you conscionable marque him adjacent much determined. And past helium goes connected to resoluteness games and ties."