Lamine Yamal insists Ballon d’Or must be earned now, not promised later
Lamine Yamal has said he does not want his age to create a false sense that a Ballon d’Or will inevitably come later, arguing that football’s biggest individual prize must be earned in the present rather than treated as a future certainty.
Yamal’s Ballon d’Or position
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player | Lamine Yamal, Barcelona and Spain winger |
| Age | 19 |
| Award race | Among the leading names discussed for the 2026 Ballon d’Or |
| Key concern | His youth could lead people to assume he has unlimited future chances |
The Barcelona forward believes observers can be too willing to defer recognition for a young player, assuming he will remain at the top long enough to win the award eventually. Yamal named Kylian Mbappé, Fabián Ruiz, Rodri, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lionel Messi and Harry Kane among the established figures with whom he is being compared, but said his own focus must remain on performances and trophies.
“People may think that because Lamine is 19 and is very good, he will win it one day,” he said. “They believe I will always be around and will get it in the end.”
Yamal used Mbappé’s career as the clearest warning against such assumptions. Mbappé won the World Cup with France at 19 in 2018 and quickly became one of the sport’s dominant attacking players, yet he has still not won the Ballon d’Or despite years among the leading candidates.
“The same happened with Mbappé when he was young,” Yamal said. “People said he would win one at some point, and he still has none. These things can happen. I cannot control that; I can control playing, winning and continuing to win. Then there should come a point when there is no debate.”
The winger has become an increasingly important player for Barcelona and for Spain under Luis de la Fuente. The Spain coach has highlighted Yamal’s growing maturity and his ability to read demanding situations, both during matches and away from the pitch.
Yamal also rejected the suggestion that his Ballon d’Or status rests only on a recent surge. He said his level has been worthy of the conversation for more than one season, maintaining that those who understand the game can recognise the difference he makes in matches.
For Yamal, the standard is immediate rather than hypothetical. He argued that the world’s best side should seek to win the Champions League now, not wait for an imagined opportunity a decade from now, because football can change too quickly for any player or team to take future success for granted.
