Lamine Yamal has told fans he does not expect to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or on 26 October, and he has a theory about why.
Speaking in a conversation shared on his own channels, the Barcelona teenager said he believes voters assume he still has years of ceremonies ahead of him and will therefore reward a more senior rival this time around.
“I think people think that, as Lamine is 19 years old and Lamine is very good, he is going to win at some point,” Yamal said.
“So, let’s say Mbappe, Fabian, Rodri, Kvaratskhelia, Messi, Kane. They think that I will always be there and that I will win eventually.”
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He pointed to Mbappé’s own career as a warning.
“For example, Mbappe, the same thing happened to him when he was young. In the end, until now, he doesn’t have any.”
The coach stops short of backing him
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente, whose squad has six nominees after lifting the World Cup in July, did not endorse Yamal when he was asked directly which player should win the award.
“He’s on his way to become an absolute football legend,” De la Fuente told reporters ahead of the Czechia game.
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“This is my view. If he was the only Spanish player in the run for Ballon d’Or, I’d say he’s the absolute best, but there are more of our players and I respect them.”
11 goals in 11 games
The reluctance from his own coach sits against a run of form that would, in most years, settle the debate. Yamal has scored in three consecutive Spain matches, against England, Croatia and Czechia, becoming the first player to score inside the opening ten minutes of three straight men’s internationals, according to Al Jazeera.
His 6th-minute curler against Czechia stretched Spain’s unbeaten run, a sequence that includes the World Cup final victory.
For Barcelona, Yamal has eight goals and six assists in eight appearances this season, more minutes than any team-mate under Hansi Flick, per Yahoo Sports. Across club and country he is on at least 11 goals from his last 11 fixtures.
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He insists his standing is not a 2026 phenomenon.
“I’ve been at the Ballon d’Or level for longer than just this year. I’ve had it for a long time and everyone knows it.”
London, 26 October
The Ballon d’Or will be presented at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday 26 October, with 100 journalists voting on a 30-man shortlist that also includes defending winner Ousmane Dembélé, Lionel Messi and Vinícius Júnior.
Yamal finished second to Dembélé last year. If the voters follow the logic he laid out himself, he will have to wait at least one more.
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