Spain and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal was named best young player for a third straight year at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, but the 19-year-old clearly has his sights set on the main prize, which went to England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane.
Yamal finished third in the voting behind Kane and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, who finished second.
The World Cup winner took to social media on Tuesday night to reassure fans that missing out on soccer’s top individual award would not dampen his spirits.
“IT WILL COME, good things take time, I trust in the path I’m building,” Yamal wrote. “No rush, just excitement and the calm assurance that one day my time will come.
“Congratulations to the winners. My focus is back on what matters most: making FC Barcelona win again.”
A strong season
Yamal was among the leading contenders for the award after a strong 2025-26 campaign. He scored 25 goals and provided 20 assists in 57 appearances, helping Barcelona defend their LaLiga title and win the Spanish Supercopa.
He was also a key contributor to the Spain side that won the 2026 World Cup. Yamal scored only one goal in the tournament, as he returned to action in the summer after an injury late in the club season.
He started seven of Spain’s eight games and was a constant threat down the right wing, regularly attracting double teams in North America, where La Roja won their second World Cup.
Praise from the national team coach
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, who won the Ballon d’Or for men’s coach of the year, said after Monday’s ceremony: “Lamine Yamal is going to win many Ballon d’Or awards, many individual trophies, but more importantly, he is going to win many more team trophies. I know he values that more.”
A 2024 European Champion, Yamal has already won three LaLiga titles with Barcelona. He also took the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best player in the world under the age of 21, ahead of his Spain and Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí.
Barcelona sit top of LaLiga after winning their first eight games of the season, with Yamal scoring eight goals and adding six assists along the way.