Yamal vs Dembele: Man United's Rashford weighs in on Ballon d'Or debate

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has weighed in on the Ballon d'Or debate that pits Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele as the two front-runners. 

France Football's coveted prize has had different favourites throughout the season. Mohamed Salah was the front runner before Liverpool's early exit from the Champions League. 

Raphinha picked it up, but his teammate, Yamal, had a performance for the ages in the UCL semi-final against Inter, which led to many early shouts that he should receive the prize. However, the Nerazurri knocked out Barcelona before they were embarrassed by PSG in the final. 

The French side won 5-0, the largest scoreline in a UCL final, and for many, their best player this season, Dembélé, should receive the Ballon d'Or, as the Parisiens also won Ligue 1 and the French Cup. 

The Manchester United star contributed to the debate in a recent interview on the YouTube platform xBuyer. He said that if the consideration is purely on the performance level, Yamal deserved to be triumphant. 

“The Ballon d'Or? It depends. If you're voting for the best player, it's Lamine. If you're voting for the one who won the Champions League, then it's Dembélé. It all depends on how you feel.”

Meanwhile, Rashford has been linked with a move to Barcelona this summer, and his desire to join the Blaugrana is not veiled. He pushed for a move to Catalonia in January but had to settle for Aston Villa after the Blaugrana’s wage bill prevented them from making a move. 

Deco has admitted that Rashford is one of the players they are watching, and while they are close to completing a move for Nico Williams, it has been reported that Barcelona still want the Englishman as they see his availability as a market opportunity.