Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona and Spain star, has won the 2026 Raymond Kopa Trophy as the world’s best young player, claiming the award for a third consecutive year.
The announcement came during the Ballon d’Or ceremony at the London Palladium, adding another honour to the 19-year-old winger’s collection after a season combining individual brilliance with team success.
Yamal retained the trophy he won in 2024 and 2025, becoming the first player to claim it three times. He had already made history as the first footballer to win the award in consecutive years.
His nomination was backed by an impressive attacking return of 25 goals and 20 assists across 57 appearances, according to the statistics in his official nomination dossier, highlighting his influence as both a scorer and creator.
Yamal helped Barcelona win La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup before completing his season by lifting the 2026 World Cup with Spain, two years after winning EURO 2024.
The Barcelona forward prevailed over nine other nominees, including teammate Pau Cubarsí, Real Madrid’s Yan Diomandé and Bayern Munich prospect Lennart Karl, alongside Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza and Warren Zaïre-Emery.
The Kopa Trophy recognises outstanding players under 21, with the winner selected by former Ballon d’Or recipients. Kylian Mbappé won the inaugural edition in 2018, while Pedri, Gavi and Jude Bellingham are also among its previous winners, before Yamal’s dominance of the last three editions.
