Lewandowski Backs Yamal for Ballon d'Or but Makes Surprise Michael Olise Admission

Robert Lewandowski has named Barcelona's Lamine Yamal as a future Ballon d'Or winner, but he says Bayern Munich's Michael Olise has impressed him just as much.

The Poland striker, who now plays in Major League Soccer, spoke to The Athletic about the two young stars. Yamal is 19 and already a key player for club and country. Lewandowski, who also played for Barcelona, thinks the winger can go all the way to the top.

"Of course, I push my finger for Lamine to win the Ballon d'Or, because he's amazing, especially for his age, but still, if you compare now to the previous time, it's a little bit different," Lewandowski said.

He explained what he meant by that. The days when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fought over the award are gone, and it used to come down to two or three names. Now the field is much bigger.

"Now, what I see is that it is a little bit more open. Now maybe you can find even 10 players, and you can find arguments why this kind of player is gonna win this Ballon d'Or," he said.

Still, Lewandowski did not want to talk only about Yamal. He has been watching Olise in the Bundesliga, and the former Crystal Palace man has clearly caught his eye.

"Olise for me is like: 'Wow.' He's the game-changer player. And I think this work and cooperation between [Harry] Kane, Olise and [Luis] Díaz is like a perfect match," the Pole said.

He believes Olise is not getting the same attention as Yamal, and he likes spotting players others have not noticed yet.

"But I am impressed that Olise is this kind of player. He has a huge future. I know that everyone is talking about Lamine, but I try to find sometimes the different players and see something, sometimes that not everyone sees yet. For me also, probably if (Olise) scored one or two goals in the World Cup, he would be the favorite also to win the Ballon d'Or, with Lamine or with Harry Kane, also."

The numbers show why he is so keen. Olise has nine goals and four assists in ten games in all competitions this season, and Bayern are top of the Bundesliga. For a finisher like Lewandowski, it is the way Olise thinks on the ball that stands out most.

"His decisions are perfect. He masters the timing, he knows when to shoot to score, when to make the pass and what type of pass to perform. I love watching Lamine, but also Olise," he added.

Both players are in action on Sunday. Bayern visit Freiburg in the Bundesliga, and Barcelona host Real Madrid in El Clasico.