Barcelona star Raphinha has this weekend revealed his take that teammate Lamine Yamal should be considered the undisputed favourite to win the Ballon d’Or.

The subject of the upcoming ‘Golden Ball’ ceremony has of course taken its place centre stage in the media headlines across world football over the course of the last week.

This comes after the 30-man shortlist for this year’s edition of the prize was officially unveiled by France Football.

The aforementioned Lamine featured front and centre amongst the candidates, after a spectacular year on the club and international fronts alike.

The 19-year-old is considered as being amongst the frontrunners to be named world football’s best, but faces competition from the likes of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé.

As alluded to above, though, one individual of the opinion that there should only be one name under consideration for the 2026 Ballon d’Or is Raphinha. Speaking during an interview with RAC1, as cited by journalist Fabrizio Romano, this weekend, Barcelona’s captain assured:

“Lamine Yamal should win the Ballon d’Or by a mile. He has the numbers, he has won trophies with the club, and he has won the World Cup.

“People will pay whatever it takes to watch him play, and I would pay it too!”