Lamine Yamal has reacted after reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele left him out of his personal top three, delivering a playful Mbappe comment and a confident message about his own chances.
Lamine Yamal responds after Dembele leaves him out of Ballon d’Or top three
Lamine Yamal has directly responded after reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele left him out of his personal top three for the 2026 award.
Dembele recently named Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe as the three players he currently rates most highly in the race.
That meant Yamal, despite being widely viewed as one of the strongest contenders, was left outside the leading trio.
Now the Barcelona superstar has answered.
Yamal jokes about Dembele and Mbappe
When asked about Dembele’s selections, Yamal did not appear angry.
Instead, he responded with a smile and a playful remark.
“He’s a friend of Kylian’s, isn’t he?” Yamal said.
The comment was clearly delivered in a joking tone rather than as a serious accusation.
Dembele and Mbappe have played together for France and have a long-standing relationship within the national team.
Yamal appeared to be teasing that connection after seeing Mbappe included in Dembele’s top three.
‘When I faced both of them, I won’
Yamal then delivered an even stronger response when discussing Mbappe and Dembele.
“When I’ve faced both of them, I’ve won,” he said.
The comment underlined just how confident the Barcelona youngster remains about his own level.
Rather than complain about being left out, Yamal pointed to results on the pitch.
His message was effectively that his performances and victories should speak for themselves.
Yamal says he does not need to prove his season
The Barcelona star made clear that he does not believe he needs to convince Dembele or anyone else about the quality of his year.
Yamal suggested that he does not need to show Dembele what kind of season he has had because the evidence is already there.
He has enjoyed major success with both club and country.
That includes winning La Liga with Barcelona and lifting the World Cup with Spain.
Those achievements have made him one of the standout candidates for the Ballon d’Or.
‘I’m not going to beg for anything’
Yamal also delivered one of his strongest messages yet about the Ballon d’Or race.
“I’m not going to beg for anything,” he said.
The teenager does not believe he should have to campaign publicly or convince journalists to vote for him.
Instead, he wants his performances to decide the debate.
Yamal believes what he has done on the pitch is enough for voters to make their own judgement.
Yamal believes he can win the Ballon d’Or
Despite refusing to campaign aggressively, Yamal is not pretending that he has no interest in winning.
He openly admitted that he believes he has a chance to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
His confidence comes after a season in which he combined major individual production with the biggest possible international trophy.
Spain’s World Cup triumph has significantly strengthened his case.
So has Barcelona’s success in La Liga.
No feud with Dembele
There is an important clarification surrounding Yamal’s comments.
There is no evidence of a feud between Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele.
Yamal spoke positively about their relationship and appeared relaxed when discussing Dembele’s choices.
His Mbappe comment was delivered jokingly.
There has also been no angry response from Barcelona and no sign that Yamal took the omission personally.
The story is better understood as competitive confidence rather than a genuine personal conflict.
Dembele’s top three continues to create debate
Dembele’s selections have nevertheless created plenty of discussion.
The reigning winner named:
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Harry Kane
Kylian Mbappe
He did not rank the three in a specific order.
Yamal was instead mentioned among a wider group of players who could still compete for the award.
Given Yamal’s status as one of the favourites, his absence from Dembele’s leading trio immediately attracted attention.
Mbappe, Dembele and Yamal take very different approaches
The Ballon d’Or race has also produced three very different attitudes from its biggest stars.
Mbappe recently said he would vote for himself.
Dembele said he would never vote for himself.
Yamal has now said he will not beg anyone for votes.
The contrast is striking.
Mbappe is openly backing his own individual achievements.
Dembele prefers to remove himself from the conversation.
Yamal believes his football should do the talking.
Yamal puts the focus back on the pitch
Ultimately, Yamal’s response was confident without becoming hostile.
He laughed off Dembele’s decision, joked about Mbappe and then reminded everyone that he has already beaten both players on the pitch.
He has no intention of campaigning desperately for the Ballon d’Or.
He believes his season has already made the case for him.
And with the final vote still to come, Yamal remains firmly at the centre of the 2026 Ballon d’Or race.
