Barcelona's Joan Laporta backs Lamine Yamal for Ballon d'Or

Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, reacted to Lamine Yamal's third-place finish in the 2026 Ballon d'Or voting, where Harry Kane won the award and Kylian Mbappé placed second. Laporta stated that Yamal deserved to win the prestigious individual accolade, citing the young winger's impressive performances for both Spain and Barcelona during the 2025/26 season.

He expressed confidence that Yamal will eventually win the Ballon d'Or, stating, "Lamine has sufficiently proven his merits to be the Ballon d'Or winner, but it couldn’t happen." Laporta emphasized the importance of surrounding Yamal with love and support, indicating that he could win the award next year. Despite not winning the Ballon d'Or, Yamal secured the Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year, underscoring his status as one of football's brightest young talents.

Barcelona supporters remain hopeful for Yamal's future success in the awards.