Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal says the Ballon d'Or should go to the player that makes people smile the most, not whoever has scored the most goals. Yamal, 19, finished second to Ousmane Dembélé last year and is once again in the running. The winner will be crowned at a ceremony in London on Oct. 26, with Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane also part of an open field.

"It's fun that there are more players [up for the prize], more debate and people can have different opinions," Yamal told L'Equipe. "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. 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."

If it came down to goals alone, Kane would have a good chance after netting 61 goals for Bayern. Mbappé scored 42 for Madrid, while Yamal netted 24 and Dembélé, a European champion with PSG, 20. However, Yamal believes his playing style, coupled with the fact he won the World Cup with Spain, gives him the edge. "I think the way I play is the strongest argument and what makes me different."

Meanwhile, Kane's Bayern teammate Luis Díaz has told ESPN the former Tottenham striker is the outstanding candidate to win this year's Ballon d'Or. "For me, he's the No.1 candidate to win the Ballon d'Or. I hope he wins it," Díaz said.