Samuel Eto'o declares Lamine Yamal 'Ballon d'Or of our hearts' as Barcelona star eyes golden prize

Eto'o throws weight behind Yamal for football's top individual honour

Former Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o has taken to social media to reveal his backing for current Blaugrana star Lamine Yamal to lift this year's Ballon d'Or.

The 19-year-old is considered one of the very favourites to be named world football's standout player for the last 12 months at October's 'Golden Ball' ceremony in Paris. Yamal is fresh off playing a starring role in both Barcelona's La Liga triumph and that of Spain at the World Cup, dazzling for club and country alike from his berth on the right flank.

'Best of luck in this Ballon d'Or race'

When it comes purely to numbers in front of goal, the Spaniard cannot quite compete with Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé, both of whom are also considered frontrunners to lift the prize. But adamant that Yamal is the rightful Ballon d'Or winner, owing to his individual brilliance in all phases of the game, is the aforementioned Samuel Eto'o.

Taking to his official Instagram account on Friday, ex-Barca goalscorer Eto'o wrote:

'Ballon d'Or of our hearts. Genius, Bold, Talented. Best of luck in this Ballon d'Or race. Whatever the verdict is, one thing is certain: just like Ousmane, you are already the Ballon d'Or of our hearts. Keep making us dream.'

The message underlines the esteem in which the young winger is held by one of the club's all-time greats, even as the race for football's most prestigious individual award heats up ahead of the Paris ceremony.