Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has been warned by former club defender Abelardo Fernández after publicly describing himself as one of the leading contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
The prestigious individual award is due to be announced at a ceremony in London on 26 October. With around six weeks still remaining before the event, speculation over the leading candidates has already intensified, with Yamal and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé among the names attracting considerable attention.
Yamal, who has rapidly established himself as one of Barcelona’s most prominent young players, openly backed his own chances during a television appearance. Asked about the leading contenders for the Ballon d’Or, the Spanish teenager named Mbappé and himself as the two best players in contention.
Yamal also indicated that he believes his achievements and performances during the current season make him deserving of the award. His confidence has been a talking point, particularly because of his age and the scale of the individual prize he is targeting.
Abelardo, however, believes there is a difference between having confidence in one’s ability and publicly declaring oneself among the two best candidates for the award.
The former Barcelona defender said Yamal was entitled to hold that opinion privately, but suggested that expressing it so directly could create an unfavourable impression.
“You can think that, but you shouldn’t say it publicly. I didn’t like it because it doesn’t present you in a good way,” Abelardo said.
He argued that Yamal could have made essentially the same point in more measured language. Rather than directly placing himself alongside Mbappé as one of the two leading candidates, the youngster could have described himself as one of several strong contenders.
“You could have said, ‘I might be one of the strong candidates.’ But in the end, you don’t know who will win the award,” Abelardo said.
The criticism centres less on Yamal’s footballing ability than on how he communicates his ambitions. At his age, his emergence has already placed him under intense public scrutiny, and comments about major individual honours are likely to attract considerable attention.
Abelardo, who earned 54 international caps for Spain, also referred to Lionel Messi when explaining his position. He argued that even a player of Messi’s stature was not known for publicly insisting that he was the best when discussing individual honours.
“I didn’t like what Lamine said. I never heard Messi say something like that, even though he was the god of football,” Abelardo said.
Yamal’s confidence nevertheless reflects the remarkable trajectory of his young career. He has become an important figure for Barcelona while also developing a significant role on the international stage. His performances have placed him in conversations normally reserved for established world-class stars, despite being at a relatively early stage of his professional career.
The Ballon d’Or debate is likely to remain intense in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. Mbappé is also widely regarded as a leading contender, while Yamal’s performances have ensured that his name remains firmly in the discussion.
For Yamal, the coming weeks will provide an opportunity to let his football strengthen his case. Whether he ultimately wins the award or not, his inclusion among the leading candidates represents a significant recognition of his rise.
Abelardo’s message is therefore largely about restraint rather than ambition. He does not question Yamal’s right to believe he can win. Instead, he believes that a player of Yamal’s talent would be better served by allowing performances on the pitch to make the argument for him.
The final verdict will come in London on 26 October, when the year’s Ballon d’Or winner is officially announced.
