Lamine Yamal stakes his claim for the 2025 Ballon d'Or with a brace and bold words: "I think I deserve it this year"

Two goals, a rout and a line that's already making the rounds everywhere: Lamine Yamal believes the Ballon d'Or should have his name on it this year. He said it plainly, with the same calm he shows in front of goal.

The Barcelona winger left his mark again on Sunday in a 4-2 win over Levante, scoring a brace that brought his tally to seven goals in just six matches this season. It's a start to the campaign that's beginning to sound like more than just a hot streak.

Riding that wave of confidence, Yamal used an interview with Movistar (set to air in the coming days) to speak candidly about the sport's most coveted individual honor. He didn't hold back.

"I'd give it to the best player in the world. Who are they going to give it to? That's a very long conversation in itself. Honestly, I think there might be two of us who are the best in the world. And I think I deserve it this year for what I've won. To me, Mbappe and I are the best in the world. I'm clear on that. Anyone who watches the games knows it."Lamine Yamal

The comparison isn't random. Kylian Mbappe, the Real Madrid forward, has also made clear in recent weeks that he believes he has more than enough of a case to lift the trophy. The two young stars, each carrying his own club, are heating up a race that will be decided in London on October 26, with names like Harry Kane and Ousmane Dembele also in the mix.

What Yamal is doing goes beyond a scoring streak. The Barcelona star was a key piece in the Catalan club's La Liga title last season, and he also put his stamp on Spain's World Cup triumph, the national team's second world title in history. This campaign has started just as intensely: five straight wins in La Liga and a winning Champions League debut against Feyenoord.

Self-criticism after conquering the world

Here's the curious part: despite speaking with such confidence about the Ballon d'Or, Yamal wasn't entirely satisfied with his own showing at the World Cup. He returned from a hamstring injury and still played all eight matches of the tournament, contributing one goal. Even so, something kept nagging at him.

"After winning the World Cup, I wasn't happy. Obviously I arrived at the tournament with an injury, but that has nothing to do with it. I would have performed the same without the injury. That said, I did a lot of things people didn't see... But I wasn't satisfied with my own performance. I know another player who performed at my level would have been considered to have had a great World Cup, but I feel like I could have done more. I helped the team, but I can't wait for the next World Cup."Lamine Yamal

That self-demanding streak contrasts sharply with what he'd said just a week earlier, when in a press conference he stated he wasn't going to "beg" for the award. Those comments came right after Mbappe had publicly laid out his own case for winning the trophy.

Between goals, crossed remarks and a ceremony drawing closer, the fight for the 2025 Ballon d'Or looks set to keep generating headlines right up until the last day of October.