Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has declared himself deserving of the 2026 Ballon d’Or, pointing to his role in Spain’s World Cup triumph and Barcelona’s successful La Liga title defence as the strongest arguments for his candidacy.
Yamal said he believes only he and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé stand above the rest of the contenders for this year’s award, but argued that his collection of major honours should give him the advantage when voters make their decision. The Ballon d’Or will be presented in London on October 26.
The 19-year-old enjoyed a standout 2025-26 campaign with Barcelona, helping the club retain the La Liga title and winning the Spanish Super Cup. He was also named La Liga’s Player of the Season after scoring 16 goals and providing 11 assists in the competition.
His season became even more significant on the international stage when Spain won the 2026 World Cup in North America. Yamal played an important role in the campaign and became the youngest player to win both the European Championship and the World Cup.
Yamal's principal rival in his own assessment is Mbappé, whose individual numbers provide a powerful counterargument. The France captain finished as the leading scorer at the 2026 World Cup, La Liga and Champions League, despite Real Madrid ending the season without a major trophy.
That contrast has become one of the defining arguments in this year's Ballon d'Or race. Yamal's case combines individual performances with major team success, particularly the World Cup and La Liga. Mbappé's case is built more heavily around extraordinary individual production and goalscoring records.
Yamal is also entering the race with experience of coming close to the prize. He finished second in last year's Ballon d'Or voting behind Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé. His latest nomination gives him another opportunity to claim the award after establishing himself as one of the world's leading players before his 20th birthday.
His confidence is notable because only days earlier he had taken a more restrained approach to the Ballon d'Or debate. Yamal said he would not campaign or beg for votes, arguing that his performances should allow voters to make their own judgement.
The 2026 shortlist also includes several other high-profile contenders, meaning the contest is not officially limited to Yamal and Mbappé. Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane, for example, produced an exceptional season and scored 61 goals in 51 matches for his club, while former winner Dembélé and Spain midfielder Rodri are also among the nominees.
Yamal's argument nevertheless has considerable weight. He combines elite attacking production with success at both club and international level, and his contribution came during a season in which Barcelona won La Liga and Spain lifted the World Cup.
The final decision will be made by the Ballon d’Or electorate rather than the players themselves. Yamal can therefore make his case, but the award will ultimately depend on how voters weigh individual statistics, performances, influence and collective achievements across the qualifying period.
For now, Yamal has made his position unmistakably clear: after winning the World Cup with Spain and La Liga with Barcelona, he believes he has done enough to become the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner.
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