Posted by Chinenye on Tue 15th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
Lamine Yamal has had a big year, winning important trophies with Barcelona and Spain.
(Lothar Matthäus. Photo by Yahoo Sports)
Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthäus thinks Lamine Yamal doesn't deserve to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or this year, despite being one of the top 30 contenders.
Though Yamal helped Barcelona win La Liga and Spain capture the World Cup, Matthäus believes the Barcelona winger hasn't matched the form he showed previously.
The former Ballon d'Or winner admits Yamal has all the qualities needed to claim football's biggest individual award, but timing isn't on his side right now.
What works in Yamal's favour, though, is the weight trophies carry in the voting process.
Matthäus reckons this actually gives Yamal a better shot than Kylian Mbappe, since the Paris forward hasn't won any major honour this season with Real Madrid or the French national team.