Max Eberl's Bold Support for Olise in Ballon d'Or Debate
Max Eberl didn’t mention Lamine Yamal by name, but everyone knew exactly who he meant.
Fresh from watching Bayern Munich crush Union Berlin 7-0 on Friday, the club’s sporting director used the mixed zone to wade into the Ballon d'Or debate – and to fire a thinly veiled shot at Barcelona’s teenage star while elevating one of his own.
“The best players are those who do not need a promotional campaign,” Eberl said, a line that cut straight across the growing noise around Yamal’s candidacy and the public lobbying that has followed.
Eberl backs Olise in Ballon d'Or debate
Eberl didn’t stop at the principle. He immediately nailed his colours to the mast.
“For me, Michael Olise is also a candidate for the Ballon d'Or. He is one of the best players in the world,” he declared, leaning on the momentum of Olise’s stunning hat-trick in the rout of Union Berlin.
Bayern had just dismantled the visitors from the capital, and Eberl seized the stage. While Barcelona and Yamal argue over what should define the “best player in the world,” Bayern’s sporting boss pointed to a player who had just delivered a statement performance in the Bundesliga.
Yamal had earlier outlined his own vision of the award in an interview with “Movistar Plus”, a vision that clearly clashes with the way Bayern figures often talk up Harry Kane’s staggering goal numbers.
“I think the Ballon d'Or should go to the best player in the world, nothing more,” the Barcelona winger said. “Not to a player who scored 80 goals, because if you score 80 goals you win the award for top scorer of the year. The two things are completely different, and people don't understand that.”
Those comments landed in Munich. Bayern officials have repeatedly leaned on Kane’s extraordinary scoring output as part of his Ballon d'Or case. Yamal’s stance – that goals alone should not dictate the prize – struck directly at that logic.
Eberl’s answer was to push back on two fronts at once: against the idea that campaigns and narratives should drive the vote, and against the notion that Bayern’s stars, from Kane to Olise, need anyone else’s criteria to validate them.
The Ballon d'Or race is still months away, but the battle lines are already clear. On one side, a prodigy in Barcelona insisting the award must transcend raw numbers. On the other, a powerbroker in Munich arguing that true greatness doesn’t shout for attention – it lets nights like a 7-0 win, and a hat-trick from Michael Olise, do the talking.
