With two sentences, Bayern chief Max Eberl brutally puts Lamine Yamal in his place

1
Michael Olise and Harry Kane led Bayern Munich's goalfest at the Allianz Arena, with the former hitting a hat-trick and the latter scoring twice. Both can justifiably dream of winning the Ballon d'Or this year. Their names are on the 30-man shortlist and, after their performances last season, they are widely seen as strong contenders to finish near the top of the voting.

After Olise's display on Friday night, Eberl was also asked about his chances. The former professional first called it "difficult", not least because it was "a subjective assessment". One thing was clear to Eberl, though: "He definitely belongs in the group of (possible) Ballon d'Or winners as well." Kane unquestionably had a great chance anyway, he said, "but Michael is also working his way into that group with the way he plays football. So for me, he definitely belongs among the best footballers in the world."

Some high-profile players and their clubs have long since started campaigning in the hope of collecting the Golden Ball at the gala on 26 October at the Palladium Theatre in London. Barcelona's world champion Lamine Yamal also wants the honour. Speaking to Movistar Plus, he said something that was widely interpreted as a dig at Golden Shoe winner Kane (73 goals for the season): "The Ballon d'Or should go to the best player in the world, full stop. It should not go to a player who has scored 80 goals."

Yamal then added: "If you score 80 goals, you get the top scorer award for the season. Those are very different things that people do not understand. The best player in the world is the one you watch in a match as a commentator and enjoy observing. He is a player who is different from everyone else."

When asked about that statement, Eberl gave a blunt answer: "There has to be campaigning. The best are the players who do not need campaigning."

Michael Olise scores his first hat-trick

Against overmatched opponents from Berlin, Olise had already let his feet do the talking over the previous 90 minutes (SPOX rating 1). The first hat-trick of his professional career was only part of it. He was the best player on the pitch. Team-mate Jamal Musiala, who had opened the scoring after a little over a quarter of an hour, told Sky the Frenchman's level was simply "outstanding".

Getty Images

Coach Vincent Kompany stressed that Olise's eye-catching goals also reflected the work he has put into his shooting technique: "Michael scores these goals, but he has also worked a lot on these finishes in training. Even the top players need more than just talent."

Next up is a call-up with the French national team. Like his Bayern team-mate Dayot Upamecano, he is in the first squad of new coach Zinedine Zidane.

Click here to read article

Related Articles