Lamine Yamal surprised those attending the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony by declaring that his Barcelona and Spain teammate Pau Cubarsí deserved to win the Kopa Trophy as the world’s best young player.
Speaking after receiving the award in London, the Barcelona star paid tribute to his absent teammate while also expressing his happiness at receiving the honour.
“Good evening, everyone. It is a great honour for me to be here today and to receive this award,” Yamal said. “The first thing I want to say is that I wish my teammate Pau Cubarsí could have been here with us tonight.”
“I think this award should have gone to him, because he truly deserves it,” he added. “He has been performing at an incredible level for a long time, and I really wished he had been the winner.”
“This is the third year, and I am very happy to keep winning these awards. I want to thank my club, my national team and everyone who has helped me get here.”
“Now I have to keep working hard to try to win more team trophies and individual awards like this one,” he concluded.
Yamal retained the Kopa Trophy for a third consecutive year following his victories in 2024 and 2025. He prevailed over a shortlist that included Cubarsí, who shared his La Liga, Spanish Super Cup and 2026 World Cup triumphs but stayed in Barcelona to rest after a demanding run of matches.
