Yamal wins young player award third year running at London Ballon d'Or

Lamine Yamal has won the 2026 Young Talent of the Year award, the third year in a row he has taken the prize for the best male footballer under 21. The award, also called the Kopa Trophy, was handed out at the Ballon d'Or ceremony at the London Palladium on Monday.

The 19-year-old Barcelona and Spain winger finished top of the ranking ahead of his club teammate Pau Cubarsí, who came second. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery was third.

According to Vanguard and Leadership, Yamal thanked his teammates at both club and international level after receiving the trophy. He also said he believed Cubarsí deserved to win it instead.

The rest of the top 10

Germany's Lennart Karl came fourth, with Ivory Coast forward Yan Diomandé fifth. Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi was sixth and Kerim Alajbegovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina seventh.

France's Junior Kroupi finished eighth, Algeria's Ibrahim Maza ninth and Switzerland's Johan Manzambi tenth, according to Punch.

The Nation reported that Yamal first won the award in 2024, the year he broke into Barcelona's first team. On the women's side, it said Barcelona Femení youngster Vicky Lopez was recognised.

Why this ceremony is different

This is the 70th edition of the Ballon d'Or and the first time it is being staged outside France. Football stars from clubs around the world and journalists gathered in London for it.

England captain Harry Kane has been tipped as favourite to become the first English winner in 25 years, but he faces competition from La Liga pair Yamal and Kylian Mbappé. The main men's Ballon d'Or winner had not been confirmed in the reports seen at the time of writing.

For Nigerian fans, the night is a reminder of how quickly Yamal has risen: a teenager from Barcelona's academy now sharing a stage with the biggest names in the game, and still young enough to win this prize again next year.