Zbigniew Boniek has made a surprising statement ahead of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, choosing Lionel Messi as his winner despite other names being the favourites for this year’s award. The former Polish footballer praised the talent of Lamine Yamal, but stressed that the Barcelona star still has time to win the prestigious trophy.
In an interview for the programme Radio Anch’io Sport on Rai Radio 1, Boniek, currently UEFA vice-president, expressed the belief that the Ballon d’Or should once again go to the Argentine star.
“I would give the Ballon d’Or to Leo Messi, even though the favourites to win it tonight are others”, Boniek stated.
As for Lamine Yamal, the Pole did not hold back his praise for the extraordinary talent of the young forward, but he believes he should not be rushed to win the most important individual award in football.
“Yamal is a very strong, outstanding footballer, but he is still very young and can wait a little longer. In Spain there are many other players of the highest level”, he said.
The former Polish footballer also commented on the candidacies of Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane, arguing that to win the Ballon d’Or you must have achieved an extraordinary success with your team.
“To win this trophy, you must have won something extraordinary. It doesn’t seem to me that this has happened in their case, although I like the Frenchman very much”, Boniek stressed.