Five Reasons Why Lamine Yamal Should Win the 2026 Ballon d’Or

“The things that he’s done on the pitch, the numbers he has, the titles he has won. To me there’s no doubt, Lamine has to win this award. For me it’s very clear, even if I wasn’t a teammate of Lamine’s.”

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Those are the words spoken by Raphinha when asked who should win the 2026 Ballon d’Or. In the Brazilian’s mind, there’s no debate, soccer’s most coveted individual award should go to Lamine Yamal in 2026.

The generational Barcelona and Spain teenager delivered yet another sensational season where he made a mockery of the previously set standards of what a teenage player should be capable of. After such a phenomenal campaign, the reigning Ballon d’Or runner-up is eyeing the top prize a year later.

“I think everyone who watches football knows what my arguments [to win the Ballon d’Or] are. I go on the pitch, I have fun, I play well, the way I want to play. I was also lucky enough to win a lot of titles.”Lamine Yamal.

In a year devoid of a consensus, runaway favorite to win the pinnacle individual award in soccer, Yamal hasn’t shied away from expressing the golden trophy should go to him. However, other stars such as Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé have credible arguments of their own and it remains anyone’s guess who will take home the award come the Ballon d’Or gala in London on Monday, Oct. 26.

“Who would I give it to? The best in the world,” Yamal said about the Ballon d’Or recently. Boiling the decision down to an ultimately subjective decision such as that is complicated, but evidence continues to mount suggesting the best player in the world is indeed the electrifying 19-year-old Spaniard.

Confirmed Shortlists

• Ballon d’Or Nominees (Men’s and Women’s)

• Kopa Trophy Nominees (Men’s and Women’s

• Yashin Trophy Nominees (Men’s and Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year)

• Club of the Year Nominees (Men’s and Women’s

• Coach of the Year Nominees (Men’s and Women’s)

World Cup Winner

https://t.co/vVgLyenYzEpic.twitter.com/K1zLcSDKTF

– Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) July 20, 2026

Since 1998, barring Lionel Messi in 2010 and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014, the Ballon d’Or has ended in the hands of a player that has reached the World Cup final. Unsurprisingly, what transpired during the 2026 World Cup in North America will surely be atop the mind of voters.

Yamal played an essential role in Spain’s charge to conquer its second ever World Cup title this summer-less than three months removed from tearing his left hamstring. After recovering from the injury which ended his club season, Yamal featured in every game of La Roja’s title campaign, starting the last seven.

Although it’s true that Yamal’s lone goal contribution of the summer was a group stage goal against Saudi Arabia and that he self-admittedly never performed at his peak level, he was undeniably key to Spain’s success.

His mere presence on the right was often enough to drag multiple markers with him, leaving teammates with plenty of time and space to operate. The action of Ferran Torres’ title-winning goal is a prime example, according to the teenager, as Pedro Porro was left alone in perfect position to deliver a cross because of the power of Yamal’s gravity.

In his first ever appearance in the tournament, Yamal conquered the most prestigious trophy in the sport and had his fingerprints all over Spain’s World Cup triumph.

Another Magical, Successful Barcelona Campaign

You could argue there were other players more crucial to Barcelona conquering a domestic treble in 2024–25. A season later, though, Yamal was far and away the player most responsible for Barcelona adding another two pieces of silverware to their trophy cabinet, including back-to-back La Liga titles. He was the definition of influential.

Yamal led Barcelona in both goals and assists across all competitions in 2025–26 despite missing a handful of games early in the term and the final eight games of the season through injury. He became the first player in La Liga history to win the Player of the Month award three times in a single season and was unsurprisingly recognized as the division’s player of the year.

In a year where Raphinha and Pedri were ravaged by injuries and age finally caught up with Robert Lewandowski, it was Barcelona’s new No. 10 who steered them to success. Even though the Catalans ended up cruising to the league title, the teenager constantly appeared when needed most, with goal contributions in four one-goal games while trailing or drawn rescuing points for the Spanish champions.

Even during a heartbreaking Champions League quarterfinals elimination at the hands of Atlético Madrid, Yamal scored plus created the most chances (seven) and completed the most dribbles (18) out of any player that featured in the two-legged tie.

Yamal was the driving force of the best team in Spanish soccer as Barcelona won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup. He did it in style too, no player across Europe’s top-five leagues had more successful dribbles than Yamal’s 133, and he led La Liga with 26 big chances created-11 more than the next best mark.

Best Statistical Season of His Career

At the age of just 18, Lamine Yamal now has 101 career goal involvements. There’s no limit to what he can achieve in the game. pic.twitter.com/kW22d9xrzK

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– Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) February 28, 2026

Yamal admitted he believes that being a prolific goalscorer shouldn’t be a major determining factor in Ballon d’Or voting. But although the teenager isn’t the world’s prominent goalscorer, he did deliver the most prolific season of his career in front of goal in 2025–26.

For the first time ever, Yamal eclipsed the 20-goal mark in a single term, bagging 25 goals for club and country, including Barcelona’s season-high 24. He also added 20 assists on top to finish the year with 45 goal contributions-a career high mark.

It was a season in which Yamal bagged his first career hat-trick-eclipsing the goal contribution century mark for his career in the process-overtook Kylian Mbappé as the greatest goalscorer in the history of Europe’s top five leagues before turning 19, and became the youngest player ever to score 40 goals for Barcelona, the youngest player in Champions League history to have 10 goals contributions in a single season and the youngest player to reach 20 career Champions League goal involvements.

His 16 La Liga goals were the joint most of any Spanish player in the division, and he led the league in assists for the second season in a row with 11.

Soccer’s Greatest Showman

There is simply no player in the world more fearless, audacious, mesmerizing, capable of creating magic out of nowhere and all around enjoyable to watch then the 19-year-old phenom. Barcelona games over the past two seasons have become must-see simply because of what Yamal produces on a consistent basis.

An exquisite blend of flair, skill and technical ability make Yamal easily the most aesthetically pleasing attacker in the world. No dribble is out of reach for him, no defensive structure is too stout for him to single-handedly bypass. He’s a natural street player making a mockery of defenders at soccer’s biggest stages.

As trivela passes, back-heels, body feints, step overs, ridiculous first touches, curling shots and even scissor kicks mounted, it was hard not to be remembered of the magic displayed by his boyhood idol Neymar. He’s undeniably productive, but the joyful, unapologetic manner in which he does it is perhaps what separates him from the rest. He has an electric personality and oozes charisma on and off the pitch, talking his talk and more often than not backing it up in spectacular fashion.

In a growingly structured and event robotized sport, Yamal is a breath of fresh air. He’s got gifted natural talent and makes a concentrated effort to squeeze every last drop of it. An old-school entertainer that is-as new-age soccer fans would say-restoring the feeling.

Yamal is the greatest show in soccer right now, and it’s not particularly close.

Historic Coronation as Best Ever Teenager

What Yamal has achieved since bursting in the scene and especially what he’s done since turning 16 has simply never been seen in the history of the sport. There’s no dancing around it: he’s the greatest teenager in soccer annals, and him standing on the Ballon d’Or stage with the trophy in his hands at 19 would be a dream coronation, one he’s earned.

The fact that it’s entirely possible that Yamal is still playing two decades from now prompts many to believe he’s not just capable but that he will win multiple Ballons d’Or in the future. His youth and beaming future, as a result, can dissuade voters from crowning him while he’s still a teenager in order to recognize other older figures, especially since he’d still be the youngest winner ever if he collects the award in 2027.

Last year, Yamal became the first player in history to win the Kopa Trophy as the best U-21 player on the planet multiple times, and he’s once again on the shortlist vying for a third. Yet, it’s not an exaggeration to say outside of his age, Yamal has outgrown the Kopa Trophy, that recognition alone doesn’t adequately validate his current greatness.

Him having a promising future and still being eligible for another prestigious award shouldn’t diminish his Ballon d’Or chances, to the contrary. That Yamal is doing what he’s doing at such a tender age makes it all the more impressive, as much as the soccer world seems to forget it given he’s been around for a while now.

It’s unprecedented, yes, but Yamal has been defying precedents his whole career. The future of soccer may well belong to him, but the present already does. The greatest teenager in the history of the sport is simultaneously the best player in the world today, and the 2026 Ballon d’Or should reward that.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Reasons Why Lamine Yamal Should Win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

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This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM.