Spain and Barcelona star Lamine Yamal was voted best young talent for a third-straight year at Monday’s Ballon d’Or award ceremony, but the 19-year-old winger clearly has his sights set on the big prize won by Harry Kane.
Yamal, 19, finished third in the voting behind Bayern Munich and England star Kane and Real Madrid‘s Kylian Mbappé, who finished second.
The World Cup winner took to social media Tuesday night to reassure fans that missing out on soccer’s top individual prize wouldn’t get his spirts down.
“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.”
The Barcelona teenager was among the leading contenders to win the award after a strong 2025-26 campaign, with 25 goals and 20 assists in 57 appearances to help 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, despite Yamal scoring only one goal as he returned to the play in the summer following an injury late in the club season with Barcelona.
Yamal started seven of the Spain’s eight games and was a constant menace down the right wing while attracting double teams throughout the tournament in North America, where La Roja won their second World Cup.
His Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, who won the Ballon d’Or for men’s coach of the year, said after the ceremony on Monday: “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, 19, has already won three LaLiga titles with Barça.
Yamal won the Kopa Trophy, handed to the best young player in the world under the age of 21, ahead of his Spain and Barcelona teammate Pau CubarsÃ.
Barcelona sit atop LaLiga after a stellar start to the season saw them win their first eight games, with Yamal scoring eight goals and adding six assists along the way.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
