Yamal on 'Ballon d'Or': 'My Turn Will Come'

Barcelona rising star Lamine Yamal affirmed yesterday that “my time will come” to win the Ballon d’Or if he continues to deliver the same level of performance, following his third-place finish this year after being one of the leading contenders. The 19-year-old Catalan winger wrote in an Instagram post: “It will happen. Beautiful things take time. I trust the path I am building. Without rushing, with great hope, and with the peace of mind that my moment will come someday.” He added, “I congratulate the winners, and I will focus on what is most important: helping Barcelona achieve victories.” The left-footed player, who was crowned world champion with Spain last summer, finished third in the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings behind Bayern Munich’s English striker Harry Kane and Real Madrid’s French star Kylian Mbappé. He also secured the Best Young Player award for the third consecutive year, having finished second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or race behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé. The Barcelona winger had previously stated in a media interview that he deserved to win the award this year, adding that he considers himself “the best player in the world,” on par with Mbappé.