Lamine Yamal has vowed to keep working towards the Ballon d’Or after finishing third behind Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe at Monday’s ceremony, where the Barcelona forward won the Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year.
The 19-year-old said he was confident his time would come after missing out on the main award, which went to Kane following an outstanding season for Bayern Munich and England.
“It will come, good things take time, I trust in the path I’m building,” Yamal wrote on social media on Tuesday. “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.”
Yamal was among the leading contenders after scoring 25 goals and providing 20 assists in 57 appearances during the 2025-26 season. He helped Barcelona retain their La Liga title and win the Spanish Supercopa before playing a key role in Spain’s World Cup triumph in North America.
The winger scored once at the tournament but started seven of Spain’s eight matches and posed a threat from the right flank as Luis de la Fuente’s side won their second World Cup.
De la Fuente, who received the Ballon d’Or award for men’s coach of the year, backed Yamal to collect further individual honours during his career but said team success would matter more to the teenager.
“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,” the Spain manager said. “I know he values that more.”
Yamal won the Kopa Trophy ahead of his Barcelona and Spain team-mate Pau Cubarsi. The award recognises the best male player aged under 21.
The teenager has already won three La Liga titles with Barcelona and was part of the Spain side that won the Euros in 2024.
Barcelona have made a strong start to the new season, winning their first eight league matches. Yamal has scored eight goals and provided six assists in those games.
