Lamine Yamal will win the Ballon d’Or one day, says Barcelona president Laporta

Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes Lamine Yamal will eventually win the Ballon d’Or, insisting the teenage forward already produced enough to claim the prize in 2026.

Yamal finished third in the voting for the world’s best player award, which was won by Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane. The prize was presented by French magazine France Football at the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony in London.

“I am convinced that Lamine Yamal will win the Ballon d’Or one day,” Laporta told reporters after the ceremony.

“For me, he did enough this year to win it already.”

Yamal did not leave empty-handed, however, collecting the Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year as the best young player.

Kane was rewarded after an outstanding 2025-26 campaign in which he scored 73 goals and provided eight assists in 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and England.

The striker also won the European Golden Shoe, the Bundesliga top-scorer award and the Bundesliga Player of the Season prize.

He helped Bayern Munich secure a domestic treble and also won a bronze medal with England at the 2026 World Cup, scoring six goals during the tournament.

Kane topped a list that included two other major forwards in the first three positions, with Kylian Mbappe second for Real Madrid and Yamal third for Barcelona.

Ballon d’Or top 10

1. Harry Kane – England, Bayern Munich 2. Kylian Mbappe – France, Real Madrid 3. Lamine Yamal – Spain, Barcelona 4. Rodri – Spain, Manchester City and Barcelona 5. Lionel Messi – Argentina, Inter Miami 6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Georgia, Paris Saint-Germain 7. Ousmane Dembele – France, Paris Saint-Germain 8. Erling Haaland – Norway, Manchester City 9. Michael Olise – France, Bayern Munich 10. Fabian Ruiz – Spain, Paris Saint-Germain