'Weren’t strong enough' - Former Ballon d'Or chief rules out one player from winning award

Former head of the Ballon d'Or organisation, Pascal Ferre, has claimed that one leading contender isn't "strong enough" to win the award at London's Palladium on October 26.

Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal is currently the favourite to scoop the award, closely followed by Bayern Munich's Harry Kane , who dreams of becoming the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the Ballon d'Or.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has already explained why Yamal should win the gong ahead of Kane , stating that he has the "magic" that makes people "dream". It's impossible to separate the two players after their record-breaking campaigns, with one other favourite being ruled out.

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Pascal Ferre explains why Kylian Mbappe shouldn't win the Ballon d'Or

Kylian Mbappe is the bookmakers third favourite to win the award after enjoying another stellar campaign at Real Madrid last term, even if his eye-watering 42 goals in 44 appearances didn't deliver silverware.

Mbappe then finished as the World Cup's top scorer with 10 goals this summer as France were knocked out by eventual winners by Spain in the semi-finals.

The 27-year-old has done everything in his power to give himself a chance of winning a first Ballon d'Or , but the award is typically dictated by who inspires their team to major trophies.

Yamal is the favourite for that reason after winning the La Liga title and the World Cup in the same year, with former Ballon d’Or chief Pascal Ferre explaining why the 19-year-old deserves it more than the Real Madrid superstar.

Ferre, who was head of the Ballon d'Or until 2023, said: “Honestly, I think Kylian’s campaign is massive compared to Lamine’s.

“For me, you don’t ask for a Ballon d’Or. You earn it. I’ve spoken with some members of the jury that I’m still in contact with, and these things have no influence on them.

“Honestly, I don’t think Kylian’s campaign has achieved very much. But we’ll see on October 26. Mbappé is a great player, but this year I would not vote for him.

“Among the 30 nominees, he was one of the few who didn’t win a trophy with his club. It seems strange to me to be the best player in the world without winning anything during the season.

“Football remains a team sport. If you don’t manage to win, it means you weren’t strong enough. That’s my view.”

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Liverpool linked with blockbuster Kylian Mbappe move

Although he's unlikely to beat Yamal or Kane to the award, Mbappe has continued his electric form at the start of this campaign with eight goals in as many appearances in La Liga and the Champions League.

But despite his incredible scoring, the Frenchman remains 'angry and disappointed' with Real - according to reports in Spain - and he could leave as early as next year.

For that reason, Liverpool are reportedly lining up a record-breaking move for Mbappe next summer after discovering that a switch to Merseyside is the forward's 'priority'.

Of course, any transfer for Mbappe would force the Reds into smashing their transfer record - the £125million they paid Newcastle United for Alexander Isak last year - with claims Real Madrid would want €200-250million (£174m–£218m).

That is an eye-watering sum for the Premier League side to fork out, and it's highly unlikely they will pay close to that amount, though a long list of clubs will be monitoring his happiness ahead of next summer.