Barcelona star Jules Kounde rows back on Lamine Yamal comments when asked for Ballon d'Or pick - 'May the best man win'
Updated 04/09/2025 at 12:39 GMT+1
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Jules Kounde has rowed back on previous comments in which he claimed his Barcelona team-mate Lamine Yamal should win the Ballon d'Or. Yamal, who scored 18 goals and registered 21 assists last season, is tipped to go toe-to-toe with Kounde's France team-mate Ousmane Dembele for the prize, with the winner crowned on September 22 at the Theatre du Chatelet, Paris.
Deschamps would '100 per cent' choose Dembele over Yamal for Ballon d'Or
Video credit: TNT Sports
Jules Kounde has rowed back on his previous comments when asked for his pick for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
The winner of the Ballon d’Or will be crowned on September 22 at the Theatre du Chatelet, Paris.
When Barcelona and France defender Kounde was asked in August who he believed would be a worthy winner this year, he reluctantly opted for his club team-mate and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
The 18-year-old dazzled, netting 18 goals and registering 25 assists last term as Barcelona won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana, while also reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
However, among Yamal’s main contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or is Kounde’s France team-mate Ousmane Dembele, who scored 35 goals and notched 16 assists as Les Parisiens won a historic quadruple, including a maiden Champions League.
Upon arriving on France duty, Kounde said in a press conference: "I’ve already answered, I'll do it again. Both deserve it. They had an extraordinary season, with trophies to boot.
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'He has it all' - Yamal backed to become a 'football legend' by De La Fuente
Video credit: TNT Sports
"Being team-mates with both, it's difficult. I'm not the one voting, and there are arguments for both.
"I'm very happy to be with Lamine, to see how he's carrying us. Ousmane has reached a kind of fullness, he's playing his best football, with the statistics. May the best man win."
On his absence from the 30-person Ballon d’Or shortlist, Kounde added: "It's always gratifying. I would have enjoyed being there.
"I think I could have been there given my season. I'm not there - it's a source of motivation."
What did Kounde say about Yamal in August?
When pushed on whether Yamal or Dembele should win the Ballon d’Or back in August, Kounde laughed and admitted: "You're putting me in a difficult position.
"But I'm going to be modest in saying that [Yamal] deserves it, yes, he does. It's also true that there are other players who have had a good season."
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Ousmane Dembele celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League in Munich
Image credit: Getty Images
Yamal, meanwhile, has said that he is hoping to one day win the Ballon d’Or.
"As a team, winning the Champions League with Barca would be incredible," he told RTVE, Spain’s public broadcaster.
"Individually, every player wants to win the Ballon d’Or, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. Being there at 18 is something to be valued, and I hope it happens."
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