“It depends on who they want” - Lewandowski offers reality check about Ballon d’Or as Lamine Yamal battles Ousmane Dembele and others for award

Robert Lewandowski has opened up on Lamine Yamal's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or amid competition from Ousmane Dembele and others. The Spanish forward has been outstanding for Barcelona once again this season, registering 18 goals and 25 assists from 55 games.

The 17-year-old's efforts have been key to the Catalans' LaLiga triumph, as well as their Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana wins. Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembele has also been in sizzling form for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) of late, and recently won the Champions League Player of the Season Award.

The Frenchman helped the Parisians win the premier European club competition, the Ligue 1, and both domestic trophies. Dembele scored 33 goals and set up 15 more from 49 games this season.

Robert Lewandowski was the frontrunner for the 2020 Ballon d'Or before it was cancelled. The Pole then finished behind Lionel Messi in the rankings the following year.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Lewandowski acknowledged Yamal's chances for this year's award, but insisted that it would depend on a lot of factors.

"He has a chance, of course, but there are other things that are very important about the Ballon d'Or. It depends on the rules they have this year. Every year, you have different rules. It depends on who they want and what the rules are this season," said Lewandowski (via GOAL).

He added:

"For me it would be nice if a Barcelona player won the Ballon d'Or, but in the end you're not sure what the important rules are this season."

Ousmane Dembele, interestingly, left Barcelona in the summer of 2023 to move to PSG.

Where did Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele finish in last year's Ballon d'Or race?

Lamine Yamal finished eighth in the Ballon d'Or race last season, with Manchester City's Rodri winning the top prize. Interestingly, Ousmane Dembele was not part of the final 30 nominees list.

The French forward has turned his career around since leaving Barcelona to move to the Parc des Princes. The 28-year-old was initially signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 as Neymar's long-term replacement.

However, Dembele struggled to live up to expectations at Camp Nou. He was eventually let go in 2023, having registered 40 goals and 41 assists from 185 games for the club.

Interestingly, Dembele's departure coincided with Lamine Yamal's emergence at Barcelona. The 17-year-old has since scored 25 goals and set up 34 more from 106 games for the LaLiga champions.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava