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Lamine Yamal has struck a defiant tone ahead of Barcelona's opening Champions League match. The teenager believes he has a genuine chance of winning the Ballon d'Or, but made it clear that he will not run a personal campaign or ask anyone for votes.

Speaking at the press conference before Barcelona's meeting with Feyenoord, Yamal addressed a wide range of topics as the Catalan club began their European season. He spoke about Barcelona's hopes of becoming champions of Europe, then discussed the Ballon d'Or, the captain's armband and his relationship with the French pair Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

Yamal began by focusing on Barcelona's biggest target this season, saying that the fact the Champions League is still missing from the club's collection of trophies is a major source of motivation for the squad.

The Barcelona forward said: "There is no greater motivation than the fact that the Champions League is the title that remains for you to win, it is the competition that remains for us to win. We have great players like Rodri, Gordon and Adeyemi, and we will try to achieve it."

Yamal also reflected on recently wearing the Barcelona captain's armband after moving up to fifth in the club's captaincy order. He said it is a huge honour at the age of 19, but also something that increases his responsibility towards his team-mates.

"It is a great honour to be a captain of Barcelona at the age of 19, and I am very grateful to my team-mates, and this makes me more responsible," he said. "Even though I am 19 years old, I will try to give my best for the team."

When asked about the Ballon d'Or, Yamal did not try to play down his standing as one of the leading contenders. At the same time, he stressed that the final decision is in the hands of others, and that what he has achieved with Barcelona and Spain will shape his chances.

Yamal said: "The first thing is that it does not depend on me, but rather on you," in reference to the press. "The work we have done with the team and the national side has been wonderful, and if it happens, the first thing I will do is be grateful to my team and my national side. I believe I have big chances, but we will see."

He did more than simply recognise his chances. The teenager also sent a firm message about the way he is approaching the race, saying he will not start asking for votes. That stance sets him apart from Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe, who had said that he deserves the award more than anyone else.

The Barcelona star said: "I don't think I need that, I'm not thinking about it. I am proud of my team and my national side, we are world champions and I cannot ask for more than that. This is your job, and I will not start begging to get something."

Dembele had omitted Yamal from his list of Ballon d'Or candidates. When asked about that, the Barcelona teenager responded with sarcasm, pointedly referring to the connection between the French winger and Kylian Mbappe.

Yamal said: "Who left me out? Dembele? He's Kylian's friend, isn't he? I'm very happy. In the times I played against them both, I must have bothered them for some reason, but my relationship with Ousmane is very good."

The most recent time he faced them was in the World Cup semi-final, when Spain beat France 2-0.

The conversation also moved to the defensive side of Yamal's game, especially the way he commits himself to pressing as soon as Barcelona lose possession. That is a significant demand for one of the club's most gifted attacking players.

The young forward insisted that being a star does not exempt him from hard work. He said running and pressing are essential if Barcelona are to challenge for trophies.

He said: "It is enough to look at the last teams that have won titles, we have seen Paris Saint-Germain. If you do not run, all the teams will beat you. For the team, if we want to win we have to run. If you do not run, you will lose."

Yamal also said that winning the Champions League is the biggest challenge facing both him and Barcelona. He further explained the real reason behind the angry look on his face when he was substituted against Elche on the opening weekend of the Spanish league.

"I don't know, it depends on the day and how I feel," he explained. "Simply put, what happened in Elche was because the weather was extremely hot, I was tired, and you made forty thousand stories about it, while the only truth is that we were playing in a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius."

Yamal is currently at the centre of huge media attention, although he admitted that the level of focus on him has taken him by surprise. He said he is going through one of the happiest phases of his life, especially after winning the World Cup with Spain and enjoying what he described as the best holiday he has ever had.

He said: "I'm very happy, and I don't know why people are talking about me this much. I've just come back from winning the World Cup, and I had the best holiday of my life. I don't know why people are talking about me so much, it's the happiest moment of my life."

As for whether he would be ready to take on an even bigger leadership role in future, Yamal said he has no fear of that responsibility. He added that Barcelona already have enough players capable of wearing the armband if coach Hansi Flick decides to hand it to him one day.

He said: "I'm not afraid to be that, we have enough players if the coach decides that one day."