Lamine Yamal has had a difficult few days. Beaten 4-2 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League a week ago, the young FC Barcelona forward then lost the Clásico to Real Madrid (1-2). And yesterday, he finished behind Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane in the race for the Ballon d’Or. The 2026 world champion did win the Kopa Trophy (best young player under 21) for the third year running, but that was not enough to make him happy.

One only had to see his crestfallen expression after Kane was announced as the winner to realise that the Blaugrana star was once again disappointed to see the prestigious trophy slip away, after last year’s defeat to Ousmane Dembélé. After the ceremony, Barça president Joan Laporta tried to console his player.

“It will come”

“We believe Lamine Yamal deserves the Ballon d’Or for his individual talent and for the titles won. He is very enthusiastic and we are really sorry for him. We knew nothing. They (the organisers, Ed.) are very discreet and it all remained a mystery.” This evening, Lamine Yamal finally broke his silence to reflect on this latest setback.

“It will come, good things take time. I have faith in the path I am forging. Without rushing, with enthusiasm and with the certainty that my time will come one day. Congratulations to the winner, I am focusing again on what matters: getting FC Barcelona winning again,” he posted on his Instagram account.

Footmercato