After securing the Kopa Trophy for a third straight year, questions remain over whether Lamine Yamal, the star player of FC Barcelona, can also take home the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Winning the Kopa Trophy, which awards the best Young Player of the Year, does not rule Lamine Yamal out of contention for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, as competition rules permit a player to capture both honours in the same calendar year.
However, historically and practically, receiving the under-21 accolade virtually guarantees he will not lift the senior 2026 Ballon d’Or tonight in London as there is no precedent of a player winning both awards in the same night.
Lamine Yamal wanted the award for Pau Cubarsi
Lamine Yamal made history on Monday night by securing his third consecutive Kopa Trophy at the London Palladium, but the 19-year-old took a moment during his acceptance speech to deflect the spotlight toward Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsi.
Pau Cubarsi #22 of Spain runs with the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Taking the stage to collect the prestigious under-21 honor, Yamal expressed gratitude to the voting panel before openly advocating for his fellow La Masia graduate. “I am thankful for winning this award, but I really wanted Pau Cubarsi to win it,” Yamal said. “He has been in tremendous form recently, and I truly believe he deserved it.”
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Ceremony co-host Thierry Henry followed up by pressing Yamal on whether the Kopa Trophy was genuinely the prize he hoped to take home tonight, hinting at the possibility of a historic double with the 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or. Yamal handled the leading question with poise, choosing not to fuel speculation about the senior crown and instead reiterating his belief in Cubarsi’s standout year.
History works against Lamine Yamal
While France Football regulations permit a player to capture both the Kopa Trophy and the senior Ballon d’Or in the same evening, precedent suggests the young Spaniard faces an uphill battle. Since the youth accolade was established in 2018, no player has ever swept both individual awards at the same gala.
The closest any candidate has come was during the award’s inaugural edition in 2018, when Kylian Mbappe won the first Kopa Trophy following France’s World Cup triumph in Russia. Despite his decisive role in Les Bleus’ international success, Mbappe ultimately placed fourth in the senior Ballon d’Or voting, finishing behind Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Antoine Griezmann.
