Yamal’s uncle slams Kane’s Ballon d’Or win, says Barcelona star was the best

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Lamine Yamal’s uncle, Abdul Abdellaoui, has criticised the decision to award Harry Kane the Ballon d’Or ahead of the Barcelona winger, insisting that his nephew was the best player in the world.

Abdellaoui expressed his disappointment during an interview with El Larguero, arguing that football fans would rather pay to watch Yamal play than the Bayern Munich and England striker.

“My nephew was amazing, he was the best player in the world, everyone knows it.

“If you like football, you go to see Lamine, not Harry Kane. Harry Kane is a great goalscorer but Lamine is the best player who shines on the pitch,” he said.

Kane made history on Monday evening at the Palladium Theatre in London by becoming the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen received the honour in 2001.

Brazilian football legend Ronaldo announced Kane as the winner of the prestigious award, which had been kept secret until the ceremony.

Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe finished second, while Yamal took third place. The 19-year-old was visibly upset when Kane received the trophy but won the Young Talent of the Year award for the third consecutive year.

Abdellaoui argued that Yamal’s age influenced the voting, suggesting that voters believed the Barcelona star had enough time to win the award in the future and instead favoured the veteran England captain.

“Since Lamine is young, they always say he has time, he’s 19, and that’s why they’re not giving him the award.

“Harry, with only three days of football left, they’re saying, ‘come on, we’ll give him the award’. He [Yamal] has won the World Cup, La Liga, the Super Cup, he plays really well,” he said.

Yamal enjoyed a successful year for club and country, helping Barcelona win the Liga title before playing a prominent role in Spain’s World Cup triumph over the summer.

Despite missing out on the Ballon d’Or, the Barcelona academy graduate is expected to continue pursuing the sport’s top individual honour as he looks to add more silverware to his collection.

 The Eagle Online Nigeria