Organisers will unveil the winner of the Ballon d'Or on Monday 26 October, but the race for the prestigious individual honour has already caught fire. Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe headline the list of frontrunners, and Gabriel Jesus, speaking in an interview with 'Sport', insisted that his team-mate fully deserves the accolade. The Brazilian also discussed his adaptation to his new club.

Does Lamine deserve the Ballon d'Or?: "Yes, definitely. Given his performances and the campaign he has had, I think Lamine is right there to win it. I have had the chance to train alongside great players and he is one of them. Everything he does, he makes it look easy; it seems so effortless."

Raphinha: "He is doing brilliantly as a number nine. He boasts plenty of quality to operate there, he is proving it, and he is scoring goals, which is the main thing."

Will you get more opportunities?: "I know the season is very long and that I will get chances to play."

His first goal for Barca: "Not long ago I was at school, and now I am at Barca scoring in the Champions League. For me, scoring here was a dream come true."

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01 Sept2026	Arsenal	FC Barcelona	€10M
04 Jul2022	Manchester City	Arsenal	€52M
01 Jan2017	Palmeiras	Manchester City	€32M
01 Jan2015	Palmeiras U17	Palmeiras	-

Gabriel Jesus

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