Lamine Yamal, third in Ballon d'Or voting, takes it in stride: "It'll come"

The biggest trophy of all slipped away from him again, but Lamine Yamal didn't leave the Ballon d'Or gala empty-handed. The Barcelona and Spain winger finished third in the voting, behind winner Harry Kane and runner-up Kylian Mbappé. At just 19, the Barça academy product had been seen as one of the top favorites after an enormous season, so the result left him with a mix of pride and hunger for more.

He made that mix crystal clear himself hours later, when he took to social media to speak out. No long face, no excuses: the message was one of calm and confidence in the process.

IT'LL COME, good things take their time, and I trust in the path I'm building. No rush, just excitement and the peace of mind that my turn will come someday. Congratulations to the winners. My head is already on what matters most: getting Barça back to winning.Lamine Yamal

"What matters most" isn't just a figure of speech in his case. Yamal closed out the 2025-26 campaign with 25 goals and 20 assists in 57 matches, numbers that helped Barcelona defend their LaLiga title and also claim the Spanish Super Cup. And that's despite a season that didn't start smoothly: he carried an injury through the final stretch of the club campaign that forced him to arrive at the World Cup just in time.

Even so, he showed up when it mattered. He was a key piece for the national team that was crowned champion of the 2026 World Cup, despite scoring just one goal at the tournament. A starter in seven of Spain's eight matches, Yamal was a constant headache down the right flank, drawing double marking from opponents throughout a tournament that La Roja ended up winning for the second time in its history, this time in North America.

A third straight Kopa Trophy

If there's no doubt about anything, it's that he remains the best young player on the planet: he took home the Kopa Trophy for the third year running, the award for the best player under 21, beating out his national team and Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí this time around.

His national team coach, Luis de la Fuente, who that same night picked up the Ballon d'Or for best men's coach, didn't hold back when talking about him.

Lamine Yamal is going to win a lot of Ballons d'Or, a lot of individual trophies, but the most important thing is that he's going to win a lot more team titles. I know that's what he values most.Luis de la Fuente

At 19, Yamal already has a Euro 2024 title and three LaLiga titles to his name in Barça colors. And the start of this season suggests the run isn't slowing down: Barcelona sits atop the table after winning their first eight matches, with Yamal himself contributing eight goals and six assists in that opening stretch. The big Ballon d'Or will have to wait, but judging by his message, he's willing to wait for it without losing his smile.