Vincent García, editor-in-chief of *France Football*, has commented that FCBarcelona's internal dispute for the Ballon d'Or has been decisive for the final result. According to the journalist, the Madrid midfielder Rodri (30 years old) “has taken away votes” from the young youth squad Lamine Yamal (19 years old), which led to the Barça winger finishing third and Rodri fourth in the journalists' votes.
The Ballon d'Or, which is awarded to the best footballer of the year, was decided in a vote in which the Spanish formed a support bloc. García explained that the dispersion of votes among the Spanish team players complicated the task of highlighting a single player. “There was a distribution of votes between Rodri and Lamine Yamal, and the presence of Spain as a bloc made it difficult to point out an individual performance above the rest,” he stated.
The same analysis applies to PSG's campaign. Former Barça player Ousmane Dembélé (29 years old) was also left out of the award, despite the fact that the French club failed to position itself clearly. García pointed out that PSG did not move adequately for Dembélé to win the award, unlike Kylian Mbappé, who had an excellent campaign. “PSG should have opted for Dembélé,” he said, adding that the strategy of promoting several players, such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (25 years old) and Fabián Ruiz (30 years old), diluted the impact of each one.
Regarding the final classification, Lamine Yamal came in third place, while Rodri took fourth place. The difference in points between both players was enough for the prize to be awarded to another candidate. García concluded that the lack of a clear communication strategy on the part of PSG and the dispersion of votes among Spanish players were key factors that prevented the talents of FCBarcelona and PSG from taking the award.
With the Ballon d'Or already awarded, teams and players will have to analyze the lessons of this season. FCBarcelona and PSG, among others, will have to decide how to optimize the promotion of their talents in future votes to ensure that their best players receive the international recognition they deserve.