Not Yamal: La Liga chief backs Barcelona star to win Ballon d’Or – ‘He deserves it’

The Ballon d’Or debate is heating up as we move closer to the ceremony date, with at least four different players in contention to win the coveted trophy.

Lamine Yamal has been pegged as the favourite, with Barcelona unanimously backing the youngster’s claim in the prize and even running a PR campaign to support his bid.

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This is despite the fact that Yamal’s teammate, Rodri, is also in contention to win the trophy following his heroics at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Javier Tebas backs Rodri

Barcelona believe Yamal should win the Ballon d’Or. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

While most have backed Yamal to win the Ballon d’Or this year, Javier Tebas has come out in support of Rodri.

In a recent interaction, the La Liga chief doubled down on his support of the Barcelona midfielder, highlighting his impact at the World Cup.

“With what Rodri has done in the World Cup, he deserves it again,” said Tebas (h/t El Chiringuito).

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Tebas’ statement is hard to argue against, given that Rodri was indeed the best-performing player at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

His leadership, composure and presence in the middle of the park played a key role in helping Spain lift the World Cup for the first time since 2010.

Factors going against Rodri

Can Rodri win his second Ballon d’Or this year? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

What may work against Rodri, however, is the fact that the midfielder was injured for the major part of last season.

He played in only 21 league matches for Man City last season, with his team also failing to win the Premier League title.

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That means Rodri only has the World Cup to show for his candidacy, which might not help much against Yamal, who won the La Liga and the World Cup, though his performances at the World Cup were not exactly as good as Rodri, Kane or Mbappe.

Rodri, for his part, does not have any issue with the fact that the club are openly backing Yamal, adding that the young Spaniard deserves to win the Ballon d’Or title.