Robert Lewandowski spent 2025-26 watching Yamal from the next locker. Three days out from the ceremony at the London Palladium, the Poland captain has used his new perch in Major League Soccer to put a former team-mate on the podium.
“Of course, I push my finger for Lamine to win the Ballon d’Or, because he’s amazing, especially for his age,” Lewandowski told The Athletic.
Yamal was the architect of Barcelona’s La Liga title last season, returning 16 league goals and 11 assists for the champions. He was named La Liga player of the season.
Kane the Bundesliga machine
Lewandowski’s old No. 9 shirt at Bayern now belongs to Harry Kane, and the Pole did not hide his admiration. Kane scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern in 2025-26, winning the European Golden Shoe and completing a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double.
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“Harry Kane came to Bayern in his prime and what he’s doing is amazing, how many goals he’s scoring, and especially that Bayern missed this kind of striker after I left,” Lewandowski said.
Bookmakers have agreed with the second half of that statement rather than the first. Kane is 1/3 with William Hill, the odds-on favourite ahead of the ceremony. Yamal, who would be the youngest winner in history at 19, sits at 2/1.
The Olise tip
Lewandowski reserved his strongest praise for Michael Olise, the France winger now at his old club Bayern Munich.
“Olise for me is like: ‘Wow.’ He’s the game-changer player,” he said.
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“Olise has a huge future. I know that everyone is talking about Lamine, but I try to find sometimes the different players and see something, sometimes that not everyone sees yet.”
Lewandowski went further, suggesting the award could already be heading in Olise’s direction had the summer gone differently for him on international duty.
“For me also, probably if Olise scored one or two goals in the World Cup, he would be the favourite also to win the Ballon d’Or, with Lamine or with Harry Kane, also,” he said.
Monday night in London
Thierry Henry and Kate Scott will host the ceremony, which kicks off at 8pm local time on Monday 26 October and marks the first time the Ballon d’Or has been staged outside France. London was chosen to honour England’s Stanley Matthews, the inaugural winner in 1956.
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