Zlatan Ibrahimovic reveals his Ballon d'Or pick as new outright favourite emerges

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal, a player he previously described as "the best player in the world", should win this year's Ballon d'Or trophy.

Yamal, who finished second to Ousmane Dembele in last year's standings, is certainly one of the favourites to scoop the award alongside Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

In fact, the 19-year-old World Cup winner has leapfrogged Kane to become the new outright favourite, according to bookies William Hill. He was 6/5 earlier this week but is now the 8/15 frontrunner.

READ MORE: Harry Kane issues telling response to Lamine Yamal's Ballon d'Or claim after making Bundesliga history

Zlatan Ibrahimovic names Lamine Yamal as his Ballon d'Or pick

Earlier this week, Yamal suggested the Ballon d’Or should recognise the players that "make you dream" rather than those who score the most goals.

"The Ballon d'Or is for the best player of the year, someone different, someone we have enjoyed watching, who has that magic, makes you smile and look forward to watching games just to see them play," he told L'Equipe.

"It's not to do with the sheer number of goals. When I think of the Ballon d'Or, I think of [Lionel] Messi, Ronaldinho... different players, players that make you dream."

With the ceremony taking place on October 26, the debate over who deserves to take home the award continues to divide opinion. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, has sided with the in-form Yamal.

Speaking to ESPN at the FC 27 launch in New York this week, Ibrahimovic named Yamal as his winner.

“He (Yamal) is the best player in the world," Ibrahimovic said back in June. "He’s a special player. Every time he gets the ball, he’s going to create something, no matter if he has two or three defenders in front of him."

Kane and Yamal are strong contenders to take home the Ballon d'Or. Image credit: Getty

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Can a player win more than one award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony?

Nobody has won more than one individual award at the same Ballon d'Or ceremony, but it is possible.

The nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or confirmed that two players - Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubasi - will be competing in two categories (Men's Ballon d'Or and the Kopa Trophy) simultaneously this year.

"This has never happened in the history of the award, but there is no rule preventing a player from winning more than one trophy," organisers said about the prospect of a player winning two trophies.