At Wembley, where Spain left England beaten 3-2 in the Nations League, Lamine Yamal again carried the weight of a decisive night. The Barcelona winger scored and helped shape the win, adding another high-pressure performance to a season that has placed him at the centre of the Ballon d’Or conversation.
The vote for the 2025-26 award closes on Monday, so the Wembley display falls outside the final calculation. Even so, it offered a familiar picture: a 19-year-old taking responsibility normally reserved for the game’s most established figures.
Quick facts
- Lamine Yamal ended 2025-26 with 24 goals and 17 assists in 45 Barcelona appearances.
- He won LaLiga and the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona.
- In LaLiga, he recorded 16 goals and 11 assists, sharing the Zarra Trophy with Ferran Torres.
- Spain’s World Cup triumph included a final victory over Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
- The Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled for 26 October 2026 in London.
Yamal finished second to Ousmane Dembélé in the previous Ballon d’Or vote, when the Frenchman was at Paris Saint-Germain. This time, his case is built on far more than end product, although the numbers are formidable for a player operating from the wing rather than as a central striker.
He was named LaLiga’s best player after becoming its leading creative force. His 11 assists were the highest total in the division, while he directly scored, assisted or won a penalty in 20 of his 26 league outings.
Barcelona retained both the league title and Super Cup won a year earlier. Their European run stopped in the Champions League quarter-finals, while the Copa del Rey ended at the semi-final stage, but Yamal remained influential across the campaign.
In the Champions League, he supplied six goals and four assists in 10 appearances, making a tangible impact in eight matches. His output also took him past Erling Haaland’s mark as the youngest player to reach double figures for combined goals and assists in a single European campaign.
One of his defining club moments came at Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano. Barcelona arrived needing an extraordinary recovery after a 2-0 home defeat, and Yamal scored in the 2-1 away result, a contribution recognised by UEFA.
His international year has been equally substantial. Spain’s World Cup win over Argentina made him the youngest player to have won both the European Championship and the World Cup before turning 20.
He opened his World Cup scoring against Saudi Arabia, then collected player-of-the-match awards against Austria and Belgium in the quarter-finals. His tournament influence stretched from dribbling and shooting to the wider rhythm of Spain’s attack.
Yamal’s challengers include Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane, whose candidacies carry their own scoring weight. Barcelona’s teenager, however, arrives with a broader portfolio: trophies, production, chance creation and repeated interventions when the stakes rise.
London will host the award night on 26 October. After Wembley, it is a city already familiar with the manner in which Yamal can alter an international occasion.
