Barcelona prodigy’s Ballon d’Or hopes take major leap after PSG’s Club World Cup collapse | OneFootball

PSG winning the UEFA Champions League this season served as a massive blow to Lamine Yamal’s chances of lifting the Ballon d’Or.

The game did indeed end the run of Inter Milan, who anti-climatically prevented Barcelona from reaching the European final, but also gave Ousmane Dembele a big advantage in the race for the elusive individual accolade.

The FIFA Club World Cup, which PSG played and Barcelona did not qualify for, was expected to be the final straw in the Ballon d’Or race, but it now appears that the case is not so as relayed by Mundo Deportivo.

A boost for Yamal

Yamal, who proved to be the most magical player on the planet last season for both club and country, is undoubtedly a big favourite to win the Ballon d’Or, and the result of the FIFA Club World Cup final last night may just turn the tables.

PSG lost the Club World Cup final. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

PSG, after all, lost to Chelsea by a 0-3 scoreline, and Dembele had a night to forget in the United States.

The Frenchman, in fact, played a big role in the event for PSG . He played two games as a starter and four games in all during the event but his performance in the final did not earn him any favours.

Dembele is indeed still a serious favourite to win the award, for he won the UEFA Champions League, the Ligue 1, the French Super Cup and the French Cup and scored 35 goals and provided 15 assists for his club last season.

Yamal, however, could well crawl back up the list after last night’s result, especially given the impact his magic has had on the global game and its perception.

He won the domestic treble with Barcelona, and also scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists for the Catalans.