Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal calmly and confidently reacted to the results of the 2026 Ballon d'Or vote, where he finished third. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The 19-year-old footballer stressed that he is not going to rush events, fully trusts the chosen path and plans to focus on club objectives.
"Everything has its time. Good things require patience, and I fully trust the path that I am building step by step. There is absolutely no need to hurry. I am full of hope and firm confidence that one day my moment will definitely come.
I congratulate all the winners of tonight! Now all my attention returns to what is of paramount importance — helping Barcelona win again," Fabrizio Romano quoted Yamal as saying on social media X.
The young winger completed the top three best players on the planet for the 2025/26 season. The award went to Bayern forward Harry Kane, while Kylian Mbappe took second place.
The Spaniard did not remain without individual recognition — France Football named Yamal the best young footballer of the year for the third time in a row.
As France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia explained, Yamal largely lacked points because the votes of jury members for representatives of the champion Spain national team were "blurred" between him and midfielder Rodri (who finished 4th).
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente also supported the player, noting that Yamal will win many more Ballon d'Or awards in his career, but team trophies always remain first for him.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that this time the prestigious Ballon d'Or award for the best footballer in the world was won for the first time by 33-year-old Bayern Munich and England forward Harry Kane.