Former Barcelona midfielder Marc Crosas raises startling dilemma over Lamine Yamal winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or

The Ballon d’Or remains world soccer’s most coveted individual honor. With Lamine Yamal standing as a genuine frontrunner for the 2026 edition, former Barcelona midfielder Marc Crosas believes securing the award could represent a definitive turning point in the young winger’s career.

In an exclusive interview with World Soccer Talk, Crosas—now a soccer analyst and an alumnus of Barcelona’s La Masia academy—offered his perspective on the modern game and the emergence of the sport’s next generation of icons.

Crosas considers Yamal an established world-class talent. While he remains cautious about drawing direct comparisons to Lionel Messi, the analyst argued that lifting the 2026 Ballon d’Or—an accolade he admits to viewing with some skepticism—would firmly elevate the 19-year-old into soccer’s absolute elite.

Lamine Yamal is hungry for more

Crosas understands Barcelona’s internal culture and youth development pipeline intimately. Though his own playing stint in Catalonia did not reach the heights anticipated of him, he was nurtured within the club’s philosophy and shared dressing rooms with an immensely gifted generation of Blaugrana stars.

While maintaining that Messi’s peak is unrepeatable, Crosas was effusive in praising Yamal’s trajectory. The former midfielder highlighted that what the Spanish international has accomplished at just 19 years of age—anchoring both his club and national side to major silverware—defies conventional developmental timelines.

“If he (Lamine Yamal) doesn’t get tired and can maintain that level of competition—like all these guys who debut at 16 years old—well, maybe in numbers they can get close. But of course, now suppose that [he] wins the Ballon d’Or—which for me, beyond the fact that Messi won what he won, and that it’s very nice for Barça fans to see Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi on a podium for what it represents for La Masía, are very subjective awards. But if Lamine now were to win the Ballon d’Or at 19, what else is there to win? If next May in Madrid at the Metropolitano he were to win the Champions League, with the money he has earned, he could say: ‘Look, I’ll retire, goodbye. I’ve already won it all. What else am I going to win?’

“I hope they can maintain that competitive spirit at a Cristiano level, at a Messi level, for many years. Because then, yes, we will enjoy incredible generations of footballers—above all, better prepared.”

Marc Crosas for World Soccer Talk

A different generation of players

When assessing the differences between past eras and the modern game, Crosas placed particular emphasis on mental fortitude under 24/7 media attention. He noted that today’s emerging stars face unprecedented levels of scrutiny, arguing that only those possessing the psychological bravery to embrace that pressure will truly cement their place among the all-time greats.

“To equal what these guys did, I don’t know. As Lamine said, I don’t know if one day… with that hunger of a 19-year-old kid who has had to work for absolutely everything and who has an incredible mentality. Beyond his talent and his quality, I think that is one of his greatest virtues. The guy is very strong mentally, and he likes that friction. He talked about racism—that it’s wrong, but it doesn’t bother him because he has adapted to it and that’s how he grew up in a neighborhood in Mataró. Things that previously we weren’t used to.“

Marc Crosas for World Soccer Talk