Lamine Yamal crowned with "Kopa 2026" for the third time and shocks everyone with a statement about Cubarsí

Lamine Yamal won the 2026 Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year on Monday 26 October but surprised the audience at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London by suggesting that Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí deserved the award instead.

The 19 year old Spain international received the prestigious prize at the London Palladium, becoming the first footballer to win the Kopa Trophy three times since the award was introduced in 2018.

Yamal who previously claimed the honour in 2024 and 2025, extended his remarkable record after another successful campaign with Barcelona and Spain.

However, his acceptance speech attracted particular attention when he acknowledged CubarsI who had also been nominated for the award but was absent from the ceremony.

Read Also: Ballon d'Or 2026: Officially.. Revealing Achraf Hakimi's final rank globally among the legends of the game

What did Lamine Yamal say about Pau Cubarsí?

Despite celebrating another historic individual achievement, Yamal used his moment on stage to recognise his Barcelona teammate.

The Spanish winger expressed gratitude for winning the award but suggested that Cubarsí should have been the recipient.

He also thanked his teammates at Barcelona and with the Spanish national team for their contributions to his success.

The comments were particularly significant because Yamal had already publicly supported Cubarsí's candidacy before the ceremony.

In September, following the announcement of the nominees, the Barcelona winger shared an Instagram story backing his teammate for the Kopa Trophy.

He described Cubarsí as the only deserving winner, despite being nominated for the same award.

His latest remarks in London reinforced that earlier position, turning an individual celebration into a public acknowledgement of his fellow La Masia graduate.

Yamal becomes the first three time Kopa Trophy winner

The latest triumph represents another unprecedented achievement for the Barcelona youngster.

Yamal first won the award in 2024 at the age of 17 before becoming its first repeat winner in 2025.

As reported following his second triumph, the Spanish international had already established a record by claiming consecutive titles.

His third victory extends that achievement:

• 2024: First Kopa Trophy, aged 17
• 2025: First player to win the award twice
• 2026: First player to win three consecutive Kopa Trophies

The prize recognises the world's leading young male footballer and is decided through voting by former Ballon d'Or winners.

Barcelona have now won the award five times, including Pedri's victory in 2021 and Gavi's triumph in 2022.

Three African talents miss out on the 2026 Kopa Trophy

Yamal's victory also ended the hopes of three promising players representing African national teams.

Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, Algeria international Ibrahim Maza and Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomandé were among the ten candidates.

Their nominations reflected their development in European football during the 2025 /26 season.

As highlighted in Foot Africa's coverage of the 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees, all three were recognised among the world's most promising young players.

However, Yamal ultimately retained the award, extending his dominance of the category.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

Related teams and leagues

Spain

Barcelona