‘Messi and Ronaldo were not winning like me at 19’ – Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal has boldly declared that even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were not enjoying the level of success he has achieved at his age as he sets his sights on the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

The Barcelona sensation believes his remarkable run of trophies at just 19 has placed him in unprecedented territory and strengthened his claim to football’s most prestigious individual prize.

Yamal ended the 2025/26 campaign by helping Barcelona retain the LaLiga title before playing a key role in Spain’s successful 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in July.

His extraordinary year has put him among the leading contenders for the Ballon d’Or, with Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe widely regarded as his biggest rival for the award.

The teenage superstar has also identified himself and Mbappe as the two best players in the world at present, setting the stage for a closely contested battle when the winner is announced later this year.

‘It’s never happened before’

Yamal is convinced his achievements compare favourably with those of football legends who dominated the sport from a young age.

While acknowledging the extraordinary careers of Messi, Ronaldo and Diego Maradona, the Barcelona forward believes none matched his combination of individual prominence and major trophies so early in their careers.

“There are great players like Messi, Cristiano and Maradona. But, I think it’s never happened before, where someone has won so much at such an early age.

“There was Pele, but in recent times… never, I think.”

His comments underline the scale of his ambition as he attempts to establish himself among the game’s all-time greats.

Yamal has already accumulated major domestic and international honours despite being only 19, giving him a remarkable platform from which to build the rest of his career.

Ballon d’Or record within reach

Victory in the Ballon d’Or race would also see Yamal rewrite the record books.

If he wins the award, he would become the youngest-ever recipient, surpassing Ronaldo Nazario, who was 21 when he claimed the honour in 1997.

The prospect of Yamal eventually winning the prize has increasingly appeared inevitable given his rapid rise, but his latest comments reveal that he is targeting much more than a single individual award.

He insists his hunger will remain intact even after reaching the highest levels of the game.

“People have this mindset that because I’ve won trophies, maybe I’ll relax with my career at some point. That will not happen.

“I know I have a thousand things to make football history.”

For Yamal, the 2026 Ballon d’Or could therefore represent another milestone rather than the peak of his ambitions.

At 19, the Barcelona star believes he has already achieved what few footballers have managed at such an early stage — and he is determined to ensure the biggest chapters of his career are still to come.