Laporta: Yamal deserved the Ballon d'Or

Barcelona president Joan Laporta said Lamine Yamal has done enough to deserve the 2026 Ballon d'Or. The 19-year-old striker finished third in the standings, behind winner Harry Kane and runner-up Kylian Mbappe.

“I don't know when he will win the Ballon d'Or, but I think he has done enough to deserve it. "The voters decided it should be someone else and we accept that," Laporta said, quoted by Sport.es.

The president of the Catalan club stressed that Yamal should continue to receive support after the jury's decision.

„We must support him. He is a great player, we are very proud of him and we will all applaud him to continue playing like this and to win this award,“ said Laporta.

The ceremony took place on October 26 at the London Palladium Theatre. Harry Kane was named the winner of the award, with Kylian Mbappe in second place and Yamal completing the top three.

The Spaniard also received the award for the best player under 21 for the third consecutive season. During the 2025/26 campaign, he played 45 games for Barcelona in all competitions, scoring 24 goals and providing 17 assists.