Former Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthäus has questioned Lamine Yamal’s claim for the 2026 award, arguing that Harry Kane had a stronger individual season.

Lothar Matthäus hits back at Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or claim and names his favourite

Germany legend Lothar Matthäus has challenged Lamine Yamal’s confident Ballon d’Or claim, arguing that the Barcelona superstar was not the defining player of the past season.

Yamal recently suggested that he and Kylian Mbappé are among the strongest candidates for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

The 19-year-old believes his success with Barcelona and Spain gives him a strong case for football’s biggest individual prize.

But Matthäus does not completely agree.

The former Ballon d’Or winner believes Harry Kane should currently be ahead of both Yamal and Mbappé.

Matthäus responds to Yamal’s Ballon d’Or claim

Speaking to Sky Germany, Matthäus praised Yamal’s extraordinary talent but questioned whether his performances across the entire season were strong enough to make him the clear Ballon d’Or favourite.

“He is an exceptional player, but despite the great success, it was not Lamine Yamal’s year,” Matthäus said.

The Germany legend believes there were other players who had a greater individual impact during the period considered for the award.

His comments came after Yamal openly discussed his own chances of winning the trophy.

Yamal was “one of many” for Spain, says Matthäus

One part of Matthäus’ assessment has attracted particular attention.

Yamal helped Spain win the World Cup and was part of another successful season with Barcelona.

However, Matthäus does not believe the teenager was the main reason behind Spain’s success.

He described Yamal as “one of many” during Spain’s World Cup campaign.

Matthäus instead highlighted Rodri as one of the players who had a greater influence on the world champions.

He also argued that Yamal did not consistently reach the level he had previously shown, although he admitted the Barcelona star has returned to outstanding form at the beginning of the new season.

Matthäus is not dismissing Yamal completely

Despite the strong wording, Matthäus did not say Yamal has no chance of winning the Ballon d’Or.

He also did not question the winger’s long-term ability.

In fact, Matthäus said Yamal has everything required to become a Ballon d’Or winner.

His argument is mainly about whether Yamal was the best individual player during the period being judged for the 2026 award.

For Matthäus, the answer is no.

Yamal still ranked ahead of Mbappé

Interestingly, Matthäus still believes Yamal has a stronger Ballon d’Or case than Kylian Mbappé.

That is because the German places major importance on team trophies.

Yamal won major honours with both Barcelona and Spain, while Mbappé produced exceptional individual numbers but finished the season without comparable team success.

Matthäus therefore believes Yamal’s chances are better than Mbappé’s despite questioning the Barcelona star’s individual dominance.

It is an important detail because it shows that Matthäus is not simply attacking Yamal.

He is judging the candidates using a combination of individual performance and trophies.

Harry Kane is Matthäus’ Ballon d’Or favourite

For Matthäus, one player stands above Yamal and Mbappé.

That player is Harry Kane.

The Bayern Munich striker remains Matthäus’ favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

The Germany legend pointed to Kane’s European Golden Shoe, his goals at the World Cup and his important performances in the Champions League.

Kane also collected two trophies with Bayern and helped his club reach the Champions League semi-finals.

England also reached the latter stages of the World Cup.

Matthäus believes that combination of goals, major performances and team success gives Kane the strongest overall case.

Yamal believes his trophies give him the advantage

Yamal sees the Ballon d’Or debate differently.

The Barcelona winger has made it clear that he considers himself among the very best players in world football alongside Mbappé.

He believes winning the World Cup with Spain and La Liga with Barcelona should carry major weight in the voting.

Yamal was also recognised for his performances in Spain during another impressive campaign.

Mbappé, meanwhile, produced extraordinary scoring numbers and finished as a leading scorer across major competitions.

But the French star’s lack of major team trophies could work against him.

A fascinating Ballon d’Or debate

The disagreement between Yamal and Matthäus highlights why the 2026 Ballon d’Or race is so difficult to predict.

Different candidates have very different arguments.

Mbappé has exceptional individual statistics.

Yamal has major trophies with Barcelona and Spain.

Kane combines huge scoring numbers with trophies and deep runs in major competitions.

There is no single statistic that can decide the winner.

Voters must balance goals, individual performances, important moments and team success.

Matthäus knows what it takes to win

Matthäus’ opinion also carries extra interest because he knows exactly what it means to win football’s biggest individual award.

The former Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder won the Ballon d’Or in 1990.

He also captained West Germany to World Cup glory that year.

That experience makes his decision to place Kane ahead of Yamal even more interesting.

Still, Matthäus made clear that Yamal’s time could come.

At only 19, the Barcelona star already has many years ahead of him to fight for the award.

Yamal’s Ballon d’Or claim receives a major response

Yamal has every reason to believe he belongs in the Ballon d’Or conversation after another remarkable year for club and country.

But one of football’s most respected former players believes the teenager should not be considered the clear favourite.

“It was not Lamine Yamal’s year,” Matthäus argued.

He believes Yamal was only “one of many” in Spain’s World Cup success.

And when asked to choose his leading candidate, Matthäus is backing Harry Kane.

The final decision will come from the Ballon d’Or voters, but the German legend’s comments have added another major voice to what is becoming one of the most open and debated races in recent years.