Jorge Mendes Declares Lamine Yamal as Ballon d'Or Winner

Jorge Mendes needed barely a few seconds to make his message crystal clear. Before slipping into his car, the super-agent stopped, turned to the reporters, and nailed his colours to the mast.

“The Ballon d'Or is for Lamine Yamal, without a doubt. The Ballon d'Or is for Lamine Yamal, he's the one who deserves it most. He is the best in the world, by a wide margin, and you know it,” Mendes declared, as quoted by A Bola.

No caveats. No diplomacy. Just a full-throated backing of the Barcelona prodigy.

Yamal himself has hardly shied away from that conversation. Speaking to Universo Valdano, the La Masia graduate showed the same steel in his voice that he so often shows on the pitch.

“Who would I give it to? The best player in the world. Honestly, as far as the best player in the world is concerned, maybe there are two of us, me and Mbappe. And I think I would deserve it this year because of what I've achieved,” he said.

That wasn’t a throwaway line. It was a statement of status, and of intent.

He went even further, doubling down on his belief that his performances speak louder than any debate.

“Yes, for me it's very clear, and everyone who watches the matches knows that,” Yamal added.

The message from both player and agent is unmistakable: in their eyes, the Ballon d'Or race already has a rightful winner.