Union Berlin blame Lamine Yamal for Bayern demolition
Union Berlin have jokingly blamed Lamine Yamal for their humiliating 7-0 defeat by Bayern Munich on Friday.
In the Bundesliga encounter, Harry Kane and Michael Olise were on fire, scoring five goals between them.
The England forward scored two, while the Frenchman bagged a superb hat-trick. Jamal Musiala opened the scoring in the 18th minute and Ismael Saibari also got on the scoresheet.
The defending Bundesliga champions have now scored 14 goals in their opening four games of the new campaign and top the table on 10 points.
Union took the heavy loss in good spirits online as they poked fun at the ongoing race for the Ballon d'Or, pointing the finger at Yamal.
"Couldn’t this 19-year-old rascal from Barcelona have just kept his mouth shut? Kane and Olise are properly on fire today and proving that they’re Ballon d’Or material," the club wrote on X.
Yamal made some controversial comments this week surrounding the Ballon d'Or, insisting he deserved it ahead of the other players in the race like Kane and Kylian Mbappe.
He made reference to Kane's outrageous goal tally from the last year and said that should not determine the winner of the individual award.
“That award is being judged differently now. When Messi and Cristiano were around, everyone knew they were the two best in the world, so the award was shared between the two players," the Barcelona superstar told Movistar.
“The problem now is that people are prioritising factors that have nothing to do with the Ballon d’Or. For example, when they say a PSG player has to win it because they’ve won the Champions League.
“When you win the Champions League, PSG are awarded the Champions League trophy for being the best team, and that’s the prize that belongs to PSG.
“Not to a player who’s scored 80 goals, because when you score 80 goals, you’re given the ‘top scorer’ award for the season. These are very different things that people aren’t understanding.
He named himself and Mbappe as the two best players in the world - not Kane and not Olise.
"I would give it to the best player in the world," the Spaniard suggested.
"Who are they going to give it to? That's a very long conversation in itself. I honestly believe that there are maybe two of us who are the best in the world.
"And I think I deserve it this year because of what I've won. For me, Mbappé and I are the best in the world. It is clear to me. Everyone who watches the matches knows it."
What has Kane said about the Ballon d'Or
Kane has been a bit more diplomatic than Yamal when it comes to the Ballon d'Or and says he'll let his performances and numbers do most of the talking.
"I've never liked to talk about myself too much," he told Marca.
"The only thing I would say is that last season was incredible, on a personal level and as a team. It was, by far, the best season of my life.
"It's true that to finish on 73 goals, the second-highest tally in history, speaks for itself. I'm extremely proud of that. I can only thank my teammates and everyone who has helped me to make that possible.
"But the Ballon d'Or is not in my hands. It depends on the people that vote. From my point of view, last season is in the past. I'm now focused on this one and I'm eager to see what else I can achieve.
"I know that people are going to speak a lot about the Ballon d'Or until October, because it's a big award."
