Portugal left-back, Nuno Mendes, has backed France’s Ousmane Dembele to take home this year’s Ballon d’Or award.
Mendes was speaking to reporters after his country beat Spain in the UEFA Nations League final on Sunday.
The 22-year-old came up against another Ballon d’Or contender, Lamine Yamal, in Munich.
Mendes effectively shut down Yamal and went forward to score the first equalizer for his team.
He is now tipping his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate to win the prize ahead of Yamal.
“The Ballon d’Or? I play with Ousmane [Dembele] and he had a wonderful season, Lamine also had a wonderful season. But Ousmane will be in the Club World Cup and Lamine won’t, so I’m very happy for Ousmane.
“He had a lot of injuries at Barca before arriving at PSG, but he is an amazing player. I like him very much as a player and a man.
“I wish him the best for the Ballon d’Or and I and his teammates will help him get there,” Mendes said.
