Max Eberl Enters Ballon d'Or Debate: A Clear Message for Lamine Yamal

Max Eberl has waded into the Ballon d'Or debate with a pointed message that landed squarely in Lamine Yamal’s direction – and with a timely plug for one of Bayern Munich’s own.

Speaking after Bayern’s 7-0 rout of Union Berlin on Friday, the sporting director was asked about Yamal’s recent comments on how the Ballon d'Or should be decided. The Barcelona prodigy had argued that the award must go to “the best player in the world, nothing more,” dismissing the idea that sheer goal volume should be decisive.

Eberl didn’t name him directly, but the response left little doubt.

“The best players are those who do not need a promotional campaign,” he said in the mixed zone, a clear jab at the growing public lobbying around Yamal’s candidacy.

Then he switched from critique to endorsement.

“For me, Michael Olise is also a candidate for the Ballon d'Or. He is one of the best players in the world,” Eberl declared, using the aftermath of Bayern’s demolition of the Berlin side to elevate the hat-trick hero into the heart of the conversation.

Yamal had recently pushed back against the narrative coming from Munich, where Harry Kane’s extraordinary goal numbers are often cited as a central pillar of his Ballon d'Or case. Speaking to “Movistar Plus”, the Barcelona star drew a sharp line between scoring records and the game’s top individual honour.

“I think the Ballon d'Or should go to the best player in the world, nothing more,” Yamal said. “Not to a player who scored 80 goals, because if you score 80 goals you win the award for top scorer of the year. The two things are completely different, and people don't understand that.”

Eberl clearly does not agree with the need for any public campaigning at all. In his view, the truly elite don’t have to argue their case in front of cameras. They let nights like Olise’s against Union Berlin do the talking.

The Ballon d'Or race has its usual ingredients: statistics, trophies, highlights. Now it also has a simmering war of words between Barcelona’s new idol and the power brokers in Munich – with Michael Olise suddenly dragged into the spotlight as a fully fledged contender.