Okocha settles Mbappe vs Yamal Ballon d’Or debate, snubs former club on UCL favourites list

The former Paris Saint-Germain playmaker has also identified Barcelona, Manchester City and Bayern Munich as his leading contenders for Champions League glory, leaving his former club out of the shortlist.

Speaking to French publication Le Journal du Dimanche ahead of PSG’s trip to Manchester City, Okocha acknowledged the depth of competition for the prestigious individual award.

Harry Kane, Mbappe, Yamal and several PSG players are among the names in contention, but the Nigerian believes the Real Madrid star’s goalscoring achievements make him a deserving winner.

“The suspense is more exciting than ever. There are a good half-dozen contenders: Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, the PSG players,” Okocha said.

“I think Mbappé deserves it for having been the top scorer in the World Cup (10 goals), the Champions League (15) and the Spanish league (25).”

Mbappe’s prolific scoring across three major competitions formed the basis of Okocha’s argument, with the former Nigeria international placing greater emphasis on the forward’s finishing record than Yamal’s growing influence at Barcelona.

Okocha also identified three clubs he believes have the strongest prospects of winning the Champions League: Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. He pointed to City’s substantial summer spending, reportedly close to €500 million, as a reason to keep Enzo Maresca’s side among the favourites.

Barcelona earned his backing through their impressive start to the season, with the partnership between Raphinha and Yamal catching his attention. Bayern, meanwhile, appealed to Okocha because of their continuity after coming close to winning the competition the previous season.

“With another year under their belts, this team will be difficult to beat,” he said of the German giants.

Despite his former association with PSG, Okocha did not include the French champions among his three leading contenders for European football’s biggest club prize.

He did, however, single out Désiré Doué as an exciting young talent at the Parisian club, praising the Frenchman’s exceptional technical ability and composure on the ball.