Ballon d’Or: an indication may have alerted Lamine Yamal

According to Sport, the Barcelona player saw Kane’s victory taking shape even before the ceremony’s verdict

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Ballon d’Or: an indication may have alerted Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal hoped to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, but several indications may have prepared him for Harry Kane’s triumph, according to the Catalan daily Sport.

Lamine Yamal may have arrived in London with ambition, but also growing doubts. According to Sport, the FC Barcelona forward and his entourage had been considering the possibility of a Harry Kane victory for several days. The Spaniard ultimately finished third in the 2026 Ballon d’Or, behind the Englishman and Kylian Mbappé, on Monday, 26 October.

Bayern’s delegation may have strengthened his feeling

The Catalan daily reports that the feeling that Kane would win had gradually taken hold before the ceremony. Upon his arrival, Yamal reportedly interpreted the presence of numerous Bayern Munich executives as a positive sign for the English forward.

His disappointment when the result was announced therefore did not reflect total surprise. According to Sport’s account, the player reportedly accepted the result naturally, without considering himself the victim of an injustice.

An expectation to distinguish from a result communicated in advance

These impressions do not, however, make it possible to assert that Barça officially knew the winner’s name. Before the trophy presentation, Joan Laporta had also told Movistar that he had not received any information about the result, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.

The distinction matters: anticipating an outcome based on the atmosphere or the composition of the delegations does not mean having access to the rankings. The account mainly describes expectations that may have evolved as the announcement approached.

A third Kopa Trophy after a 24-goal season

Yamal nevertheless won his third consecutive Kopa Trophy, following his successes in 2024 and 2025. At 19, he also has two consecutive Ballon d’Or podium finishes, having placed second in 2025.

His candidacy was based on a 2025-2026 season marked by 24 goals in a Barcelona shirt, according to the figures published by the club, as well as his titles with Barça and Spain. The main trophy has eluded him once again, but these results provide a solid foundation for his ambitions in future editions.

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