Lamine Yamal’s reaction to not being included in Ousmane Dembele’s Ballon d’Or ranking is quickly becoming popular online.
Lamine Yamal brought up Ousmane Dembele’s friendship with Kylian Mbappe when he was asked about not being included in Dembele’s top picks for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Before the nominees were revealed on Tuesday, last year’s winner, Dembele, chose Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as his top three for the award.
In an interview with France Football, which runs the Ballon d’Or, Dembele said, “Kvara, Harry Kane who had a really great season, and Kylian Mbappe.”
Yamal, who is a strong contender to win next month’s Ballon d’Or, was asked about not being on Dembele’s list before Barcelona’s game against Feyenoord. His answer, mentioning Dembele’s friendship with Mbappe, quickly caught people’s attention.
“He’s Kylian Mbappe’s friend, right?” Yamal said, according to Fabrizio Romano. “I’m happy with my season. Every time we played against each other, I probably did something they didn’t like, which is normal. My relationship with Ousmane is good, and I understand why he picked other players.”
In his interview, Dembele focused on praising Paris Saint-Germain’s team effort instead of talking about himself, which contrasts with some recent criticism of Mbappe.
Dembele also gave credit to PSG teammate William Pacho, who was important for Luis Enrique’s team as they defended their European title last season.
“When asked about my voting, I said no, I don’t vote for myself,” Dembele said. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t vote for myself. Many players deserve to be on the list, like Michael Olise, who had an amazing season and was the best in the German league.”
Later, Dembele mentioned Lamine Yamal as one of the players who impressed him last season, along with Fabian Ruiz and William Pacho.
“We sometimes forget Pacho,” Dembele added. “I hope we don’t forget him this year because he really deserves it.”