Lamine Yamal Finally Breaks Silence After Losing 2026 Ballon d’Or to Harry Kane
- Lamine Yamal finished third in the 2026 Ballon d'Or voting behind winner Harry Kane and runner-up Kylian Mbappe at Monday's ceremony in London
- The Barcelona winger missed out on becoming the youngest player to win the Golden Ball, a record he had hoped to set this year
- Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year despite the Ballon d'Or disappointment, adding to his growing list of individual honours
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Lamine Yamal has spoken out after finishing third in the 2026 Ballon d'Or, saying he remains confident that the award will come his way in the future.
The 19-year-old Barcelona winger had hoped to make history by becoming the youngest player ever to win football's most prestigious individual prize, but Harry Kane claimed the Golden Ball at Monday's ceremony in London, with Kylian Mbappe finishing second.
Source: Getty Images
Refusing to dwell on the outcome, Yamal offered a message of patience and self-belief, per Fabrizio Romano on X.
"It'll come. Good things take time, and I trust the path I'm building. There's no rush. I'm full of hope and confidence that one day my moment will come," he said.
He also acknowledged the winners before turning his attention back to club matters.
"Congratulations to the winners. My focus now returns to what really matters: helping Barcelona win again," he added.
Yamal's Ballon d'Or journey so far
Monday's result means Yamal has now finished on the Ballon d'Or podium in back-to-back years, per Livescore.
In the previous ceremony, the 19-year-old Barcelona star came second behind Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé.
His two consecutive top-three finishes at such a young age confirm his place among the best players in world football, even without the main prize.
There was still cause for celebration, however. Yamal picked up the Kopa Trophy for the third year running, an honour awarded to the best player under 21.
The hat-trick of Kopa wins reinforces his standing as the outstanding young talent of his generation.
Kane ends England's 25-year Ballon d'Or drought
Kane's victory capped a historic individual season.
The Bayern Munich striker scored 61 goals in 51 club appearances, breaking the record for the most goals scored by a Bayern player in a single campaign.
Across all competitions for club and country, he registered 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches.
By winning the award, Kane became the first English player to lift the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001, ending a 25-year wait for another winner from England.
He also became the first Bayern Munich player to claim the honour since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won it in 1981.
Spain coach backs Yamal to win Ballon d'Or
Legit.ng previously reported about Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s message to Yamal after the Barcelona star finished third in the 2026 Ballon d’Or race.
Yamal missed out on the main prize for a second year, while Harry Kane ended England’s 25-year wait by becoming the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
Source: Legit.ng
