Ballon d’Or 2026: Yamal Wants To Take Kane, PSG Players Out Of Debate – Acherchour

French football pundit Walid Acherchour has claimed that Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal is trying to turn the 2026 Ballon d’Or debate into a direct contest between himself and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé.

According to Acherchour, Yamal is deliberately influencing the conversation around the prestigious individual award while pushing other leading contenders, including Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Paris Saint-Germain players, out of the spotlight.

Yamal is among the 30 players shortlisted for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. Other notable nominees include Kane, PSG stars Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, as well as Mbappé.

Acherchour believes the Barcelona youngster has understood how the Ballon d’Or discussion is developing and wants his name to remain at the centre of it.

“Lamine Yamal has understood everything. He wants to make the Ballon d’Or debate about him and Kylian Mbappe,” Acherchour said, as quoted by The Touchline.

He further claimed that Yamal wants to remove Kane and the PSG players from the conversation because he sees Mbappé as his main rival for the award.

“He wants to take the PSG players and Harry Kane out of the debate because he’s thinking: ‘If it’s me against Mbappe, I’m going to win the Ballon d’Or.’”

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The comments add another layer to the ongoing Ballon d’Or debate, with Yamal, Mbappé, Kane, Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia among the high-profile names competing for the 2026 award.