‘Busquets woke me up’

The Ballon d’Or is fast approaching, and all contenders have a different ‘strategy’ when it comes to their own promotion. Unlike the quiet ones like Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe an Lamine Yamal have been very vocal about themselves. The Barcelona forward is indeed one of the candidates and he knows it. Movistar Plus made an interview with the player, and it will be released in full on the eve of the event, on October 26th. But they released some interesting quotes from Yamal.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Selon vous, qui mérite de remporter le Ballon d’Or cette année ? 🚨🗣️ Pascal Ferré (ancien directeur de la rédaction France Football et co-responsable du Ballon d’Or) : Je pense que je placerais Lamine Yamal en tête parce qu’il est allé chercher une Coupe du monde et que tous ceux qui disent qu’il a accompli une Coupe du monde assez modeste, je leur demande juste de re-regarder les matchs et de s’affranchir des stats. Effectivement, il a marqué un but. Ce n’est pas un bilan exceptionnel, mais regardez les matchs, regardez cet aimant adversaire, regardez les décalages. Quand on adore le foot, on ne peut pas passer à côté d’un petit joyau comme celui-ci. Il fait partie d’une équipe, le Barça, qui est en train de repartir pour un cycle qui a l’air assez enchanteur. Et puis il y a quelque chose que j’adore chez ce joueur-là, c’est son sourire. Et moi, un joueur qui passe son temps à sourire, à nous faire sourire, j’aurais plutôt envie de le mettre tout en haut. Via. @WinamaxFC https://t.co/WwizDbFHPb</p>&mdash; Blaugranation (@Blaugranation_) <a href="https://x.com/Blaugranation_/status/2107963136057692213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##In the first one, he advocates for himself and explains why people should vote for him.“The best in the world are Mbappe and me, and this year I deserve it for what I've won. When Messi and Cristiano were around, everyone knew they were the two best in the world, so the award was shared between two players. I think the problem now is that people are valuing things that aren't relevant to the Ballon d'Or, like when they say a PSG player has to win it because he won the Champions League. (…) The best player in the world is the one you, as a commentator, are watching the game and enjoying. When the focus returns to that, and the best player in the world is the best, not the one who has scored the most goals or won the most titles, "There, the award will regain its true value" he explained.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗗: Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane are the TWO leading contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or. The battle for the trophy will go down between ONLY THEM! ✨🏆 https://t.co/92A1KqRSJU</p>&mdash; The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) <a href="https://x.com/TouchlineX/status/2107463388385234978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##Yamal also pointed out when that defining moment was for his career in Barcelona. And he credits Segio Busquets."Once I was suspended from the national team, and Busquets said to me, 'What have you done?'" Seriously. He told me, 'You're at Barca, you have to behave.' That was a 'phew, I have to wake up' moment, and from then on I put my whole life on hold and dedicated myself entirely to football. It was a year where I didn't go out: I trained, I played, I rested, I went to see my mother, and I kept going. It was football, football, and football. And I told myself, 'Until I'm an undisputed starter here, I'm not going to do anything I'll regret’” revealed Yamal.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 8Friday22.00: (2.80) Malaga (3.15) Espanyol (2.65)Saturday15.00: (2.75) Rayo Vallecano (3.20) Ath.Bilbao (2.65)17.15: (4.60) Alaves (3.60) Atl.Madrid (1.80)19.30: (1.10) Barcelona (11.0) Getafe (18.0)22.00: (1.37) Real Madrid (5.85) Villareal (6.55)Sunday15.00: (2.80) Elche (3.25) Celta (2.60)17.15: (1.67) Sociedad (3.70) La Coruna (5.50)19.30: (1.57) Betis (4.00) Osasuna (6.00)22.00: (2.30) Santander (3.50) Valencia (3.00)Monday22.00: (2.75) Levante (3.20) Sevilla (2.65)***odds are subject to change***##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-36-97268" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/36/season/97268/standings?widgetTitle=LaLiga&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:1123px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##