Lamine Yamal Asserts Ballon d'Or Claim Over Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal scored twice in a 4-2 victory over Levante, bringing his season total to seven goals in six appearances.

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal scored a brace in a 4-2 victory over Levante on Sunday, bringing his total to seven goals in six matches this season. The 19-year-old has helped Barça win all five of their opening LaLiga fixtures and their Champions League opener against Feyenoord. Following this start, Yamal told Movistar that he and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé are the two best players in the world, but he believes he deserves the Ballon d'Or this year.

According to ESPN, Yamal cited his success in winning LaLiga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain as the primary reasons he should receive the award. The Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 26 in London. Other players in contention for the individual prize include Harry Kane and Ousmane Dembélé.

Despite winning the World Cup in North America this summer, Yamal expressed dissatisfaction with his individual performance during the tournament. Returning from a hamstring injury, he played in all eight of Spain's matches and scored one goal. He noted that while he successfully drew multiple defenders to create space for teammates, he believes he could have contributed more to the national team's second title win.