Lamine Yamal has reaffirmed his right to contend for the 2026 Ballon d’Or while simultaneously picking his Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí to win the Kopa Trophy, despite the star winger being nominated for the young player award himself.
Speaking to Teledeporte, Yamal assessed his prospects for the main prize following Spain’s World Cup triumph, while renewing his vocal support for Cubarsí in the U-21 race.
“Last year, I was missing the Champions League to win the Ballon d’Or,” the 19-year-old stated. “This year, I have the World Cup, so the chances are definitely there.”
Regarding his teammate, Yamal added: “For me, Cubarsí was the best young player in the world last year. The Kopa Trophy—or even the Ballon d’Or—should go to him; there is no difference between us.”
He continued: “When I won the award, I told him he would be next. If he doesn’t get it for any reason, I’ll give him mine,” reiterating previous social media posts where he declared the defender as the only worthy candidate.
Yamal finished the 2025–2026 campaign with Barcelona having registered 24 goals and 18 assists across 45 official appearances, helping the club retain their La Liga title prior to guiding La Roja to World Cup glory.
Cubarsí featured in 48 official matches for Barcelona, starting 45, before playing all 750 minutes across Spain’s eight World Cup fixtures. He recorded a 96% pass completion rate and 29 ball recoveries throughout the tournament.
The central defender earned the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player award after helping Spain record seven clean sheets while conceding just once, as Yamal aims to pair the Ballon d’Or with the Kopa Trophy he claimed in 2024 and 2025.
