French football pundit Walid Acherchour has claimed that Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal wants to remove Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Paris Saint-Germain players from the Ballon d’Or debate.

Acherchour believes the Spain international is deliberately shaping the conversation around the prestigious individual award into a direct contest between himself and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe.

Yamal is among the 30 players shortlisted for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. The list also includes Kane, Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

According to Acherchour, Yamal has understood how to influence the discussion surrounding the award and wants the focus to remain on a potential battle with Mbappe.

“Lamine Yamal has understood everything. He wants to make the Ballon d’Or debate about him and Kylian Mbappe,” Acherchour said, as quoted by The Touchline.

The French pundit further claimed that Yamal wants the PSG contenders and Kane removed from serious consideration because he believes a head-to-head contest with Mbappe would give him a better chance of winning the award.

“He wants to take the PSG players and Harry Kane out of the debate because he’s thinking: ‘If it’s me against Mbappe, I’m going to win the Ballon d’Or,’” Acherchour added.