Ballon d’Or 2026: Joan Laporta launches his campaign for Lamine Yamal

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has made his preference clear for Lamine Yamal, one of three Barça nominees

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Ballon d’Or 2026: Joan Laporta launches his campaign for Lamine Yamal

Joan Laporta wants Lamine Yamal to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or and has openly praised the maturity and genius of Barcelona’s young star.

Barcelona have three players among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or: Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Pau Cubarsí. With the ceremony approaching, Joan Laporta is not hiding his preferred candidate. Speaking to reporters outside a restaurant, the Barça president made his support for the club’s number 10 perfectly clear.

“Players must also be grateful to Barça for the opportunity the club gives them to win these trophies. I will always want a Barça player, male or female, to win the Ballon d’Or,” Laporta said. On Yamal, he was even more direct: “I would love him to win the Ballon d’Or. [...] Lamine is a very mature guy, a genius.”

24 goals, 17 assists and two trophies with Barcelona

Lamine Yamal’s case is built on an outstanding 2025-26 campaign. The winger finished the club season with 24 goals and 17 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions, giving him 41 direct goal contributions. In La Liga, he scored 16 goals and was named the competition’s Player of the Season.

Collectively, the La Masia graduate won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona. A few weeks later, he added the 2026 World Cup with Spain to his honours. That combination strengthens his case considerably, especially after he finished second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote.

Barcelona will also hope their strong representation carries weight in the race. The full list of 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or includes three Barça players, although Yamal is clearly the player receiving the biggest push in Catalonia.

A brilliant start to the 2026-27 season

Yamal has shown no sign of slowing down. After five competitive appearances for Barcelona this season, he already has 5 goals and 2 assists. He scored four times across the first four La Liga games before producing one goal and two assists in Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over Feyenoord in the Champions League.

That European performance also brought another record. At 19 years and 58 days, Yamal became the youngest captain in Barcelona first-team history after taking the armband during the match. With elite numbers, major trophies and an increasingly central role at Barça, Laporta has plenty of arguments to support his young star’s Ballon d’Or bid.