‘My votes would be: Vinicius, Mbappé, and’… Fabio Capello reveals the Barcelona player he would pick first for the Ballon d’Or award | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have had a wonderful 2024-25 season, in which they have already added two trophies to their cabinet, the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey, and are on course to win the La Liga title as well.

Meanwhile, the Blaugrana team has also put on very exciting performances for their fans, and although several players have impressed a lot this season, none of them shone as brightly as Lamine Yamal.

The youngster has been one of the most differential players for the Catalan team, and his performances this season have been highly surprising, keeping in view the fact that he is still only 17 years of age.

His performances have been so good that he is being seen as one of the main candidates to win the Ballon d’Or this year, and several notable individuals have already supported his candidacy.

Fabio Capello sees Yamal behind Messi and Maradona

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello also sees Yamal as the favorite to win this top individual award in football.

Talking in an interview, the Italian tactician believed that the Barcelona youngster is still not at the level of some of the biggest names in the history of football:

“Lamine Yamal is a player with a lot of quality and great potential to improve, but I don’t see the genius of a phenomenon in him. Messi or Maradona did things no one could even imagine, and right now I can’t compare him to them.”

Capello went on to clarify that he was not talking only about numbers:

“I’m not talking about numbers, I’m talking about quality and genius. (Cristiano) Ronaldo is a formidable player… And how many goals has he scored? More than anyone. But he can’t be Messi or Maradona.”

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal. [Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images]

Ballon d’Or pick

Still, the former AC Milan head coach revealed he would vote for Yamal to win the Ballon d’Or:

“I would vote for Lamine Yamal for the Ballon d’Or. My votes would be: Vinicius, Mbappé, and first, Lamine Yamal.”

One can argue with Fabio Capello about whether Yamal should be compared with his illustrious predecessors, but luckily, the Spaniard is still only 17 years of age and has a lot of time to improve. Hopefully, he will continue to impress in the coming years in the same way he did this season and write his name among the greats of the game.