Mbappé and Yamal Wage Media Campaign for Ballon d'Or

With the Ballon d'Or voting set to close on September 28, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal have launched intensive media campaigns to sway voters, turning the race into a high-stakes battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The award is considered unusually open this year, as no single candidate has a clear edge in both individual performance and team titles. Source: El Mundo

The Candidates

• Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) argues his individual statistics should prevail. He was the top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup, netting 42 goals last season. Source: Infobae He stated that not winning would be "a disappointment" because "there was no one better than me last season." Source: El Confidencial However, he has won no major trophies with club or country this cycle. Source: El Confidencial
• Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) emphasizes his unique playing style and team success. He argues the award should go to "the exceptional and different player" and points to his La Liga title and World Cup victory. Source: La Vanguardia He has declared, "Mbappé and I are the best, but I deserve it for what I've won." Source: El Mundo
• Harry Kane is also a contender, having scored over 70 goals this season, but has remained relatively quiet, stating "my goals speak for me." Source: El Mundo

The Campaign

Both players and their clubs have engaged in a "guerrilla war" of media appearances. Source: El Mundo Mbappé has given multiple interviews to Spanish and French outlets, while Yamal, advised by Jorge Mendes, sat for a high-profile interview with Jorge Valdano. Source: El Mundo Real Madrid has broken its media silence on the award, planning to send a delegation to the ceremony in London. Source: El Mundo