Ballon d’Or: Lamine Yamal remains hopeful for the future

Lamine Yamal’s first statement after the ceremony

Ballon d'Or Today at 17:13

Add Foot Africa on Google

Ballon d’Or: Lamine Yamal remains hopeful for the future

Behind Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé in the 2026 Ballon d’Or, Lamine Yamal won the trophy for the best young player for the third consecutive year. The FC Barcelona forward remains convinced that his time will come.

“It’ll come. Good things take time, and I believe in the path I’m building. I’m not in a hurry. I remain hopeful and confident: my moment will come one day,” the Spain international said after the ceremony.

At 19, Yamal made no secret of his ambitions for the next editions. The third-place finisher in the men’s ranking also congratulated the winners before reiterating his priority: helping FC Barcelona win more trophies.

🚨 Lamine Yamal: “It’ll come. Good things take time, and I trust the path I’m building. There’s no rush. I’m full of hope and confidence that one day my moment will come”.

“Congratulations to the winners. My focus now returns to what really matters: helping Barcelona win again”. pic.twitter.com/w68oBuidbs
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 27, 2026

Already crowned best young player in 2024 and 2025, the Barcelona player retained his distinction in 2026. A third consecutive title that confirms his status as one of world football’s biggest prospects. As for the Ballon d’Or, the appointment has therefore been postponed. Yamal, for his part, intends to continue his development without rushing.

Ballon d’Or: a clue may have alerted Lamine Yamal

This article follows our newsroom’s editorial standards. To learn more about how we create and fact-check our content, see our Editorial Policy .