Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has fired an indirect shot at Barcelona star Lamine Yamal over the Ballon d'Or race, insisting the best players don't need promotional campaigns to win the award. He also threw Michael Olise's name into the ring as a contender.
According to Spanish newspaper "AS", the comments came after Bayern's 7-0 demolition of Union Berlin on Friday. In the mixed zone, Eberl responded to Yamal's claims about the criteria that should, in the Barcelona star's view, decide who wins the Ballon d'Or, criteria that happen to work in his favour.
Eberl didn't hold back with his veiled dig at Lamine. He also put forward Olise, who bagged a hat-trick against Union Berlin, as one of the leading candidates for the award.
Asked about the Barcelona star's latest remarks, Eberl said: "The best players are those who do not need a promotional campaign."
He seized the moment to defend one of his own stars: "For me, Michael Olise is also a candidate for the Ballon d'Or. He is one of the best players in the world." Bayern had just thumped the side from the German capital.
Lamine's argument was that goal tallies, the very thing Bayern officials cite in support of Harry Kane, shouldn't decide who lifts the Ballon d'Or.
The Barcelona star told "Movistar Plus": "I think the Ballon d'Or should go to the best player in the world, nothing more. Not to a player who scored 80 goals, because if you score 80 goals you win the award for top scorer of the year. The two things are completely different, and people don't understand that."
He added: "The best player in the world is the one you follow during a match as a commentator and enjoy watching. You see him and you think: this is a player who is clearly different from all the others."
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