Former Real Madrid legend Luis Figo has shared his top picks for this year’s Ballon d’Or. With the winner set to be announced in September, many names are in the running, but Figo believes three players stand out.

The Portuguese icon pointed to Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal, and Vitinha as his favourites to take home football’s biggest individual honour. “All three had incredible seasons with their clubs,” Figo said in a chat with Sport Bible.

He added, “There are plenty of players who deserve it based on how they performed. But in the end, it depends on what matters more; your individual stats or the trophies you’ve won.” Figo also admitted the final decision is out of his hands, saying, “It’s not up to me, but I personally like players like Lamine, Vitinha, and Dembele; they’ve all been outstanding this season.”

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has expressed his desire to have Kylian Mbappe and Endrick back on the pitch as soon as possible. Ancelotti shared his thoughts after Los Blancos sealed a comfortable 3-0 win over RB Salzburg in the FIFA Club World Cup, thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior, Valverde, and Gonzalo Garcia.

Both Mbappe and Endrick missed the game, with Mbappe sidelined due to gastroenteritis and Endrick still nursing a hamstring injury. “We want Mbappe back fully fit,” Ancelotti said after the match. “I can’t say for sure if he’ll feature on Tuesday against Juventus, but we’re hopeful.”

He also gave an update on Endrick’s condition, saying, “He’s still recovering, but we expect him to join the squad in the US for training. I’m counting on him for what’s ahead.”

Ex-Bayern Munich star Mark van Bommel has boldly claimed that Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal is ahead of Lionel Messi at the same age. Speaking with Voetbalzone, Van Bommel said Yamal is doing far more at 17 than Messi did when he first broke into Barcelona’s senior team.

“In Messi’s early days with the first team, he didn’t play as many matches as Yamal is playing now,” the Dutchman explained. “For that reason, at 17, Yamal is better.” However, Van Bommel made it clear there’s still a long way to go for the young Spaniard if he wants to be anywhere near Messi’s legendary status.

“Messi has stayed at the top for twenty years, which is unbelievable,” he said. “If Yamal hopes to match Messi’s goal record, he’ll need to bag around 500 more. That’s nearly 30 goals every season.” Van Bommel, who also played for AC Milan, praised Yamal’s potential but admitted he isn’t the best in the world yet. “He’s not the best right now, but he’s definitely on the right path.”