Barcelona legend Samuel Eto’o backs Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or bid with emotional message

Barcelona legend Samuel Eto’o backs Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or bid with emotional message Former Barcelona superstar and club legend has publicly expressed his support for Lamine Yamal as the Ballon d’Or winner and believes the Spanish winger has a strong chance of taking home the award. Taking to social media, the former Cameroon international, now president of his country’s football federation, has openly backed Lamine and could be an influential voice, particularly among African voters for the award. This comes amid Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe’s campaign for the golden orb, wherein the Frenchman stated that he would dedicate the Ballon d’Or to Africa if he were to win it this year. Eto’o shares a touching message In the view of Eto’o, Lamine deserves to win this year’s Ballon d’Or because of his achievements and, above all, the quality of his football. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samuel Eto'o (@samueletoo) Eto’o shared an emotional message on social media as the final stages of Ballon d’Or voting approached, adding his support to Lamine’s campaign. “Ballon d’Or winner in our hearts. Genius, audacious, talented… Best of luck in this Ballon d’Or race,” he wrote. “But whatever the verdict, one thing is already certain: just like Ousmane, you are already the Ballon d’Or winner in our hearts.” Will this be Lamine’s year? Interestingly, Eto’o never won the Ballon d’Or, although he was nominated on several occasions. His best finish came in 2005, when he placed fifth. That was the year another former Barcelona great, Ronaldinho, won the top honour. Now, Lamine could be poised to make history by becoming the youngest footballer ever to lift the Ballon d’Or. Gunning for the top prize in football. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) The teenage sensation finished second in the rankings last year behind former Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele, but has a very good chance of winning it this time around . If he wins it, Lamine would become the youngest recipient of the golden orb, going past another former Barcelona great Ronaldo, who won it at the age of 21 years and 3 months back in 1997. Apart from Lamine and Mbappe, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is also a strong contender, while Barça’s marquee summer signing Rodri is also expected to secure a high finish after an excellent World Cup.