What Lamine Yamal Must Do to Win the 2027 Ballon d’Or

Lamine Yamal was on the verge of tears when Harry Kane stood on stage delivering his speech after winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, clearly devastated by once again coming up short in the race for a prize he believes should already be his.

“I think everyone who watches football knows what my arguments [to win the Ballon d’Or] are,” Yamal said during a lengthy public campaign in which he tried to convince voters around the world to anoint him as the best player in the world.

He had a solid case. The teenager sensational 2025–26 season for Barcelona, steering the Catalans to another La Liga and Spanish Super Cup title with the best statistical season of his career at 18-years-old, dazzling the soccer world with his prodigious talent week-in and week-out.

Then came the summer and after recovering from injury, he played a crucial role in Spain winning the 2026 World Cup. After dethroning Lionel Messi and conquering the most prestigious trophy in the sport, many thought Yamal was bound to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

In the end, it wasn’t to be for Yamal, who came in third in the 2026 rankings, completing the podium behind Kylian Mbappé and 2026 Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane. Although he’s 14-years younger than the Englishman, it’s no secret the teenager believed 2026 was supposed to be the year he finally received the most prestigious award in the sport.

History Repeats Itself for Lamine Yamal

Since the now 19-year-old burst into the scene at 16, he instantly inserted himself in the conversation of being one of the world’s best and, at this point, it’s hard to argue against his case as the greatest teenager in soccer history.

What Yamal has achieved in his first three full seasons as a a professional for Barcelona and Spain is unlike anything the soccer world has ever seen. He’s not only been a Ballon d’Or finalist every time during his three-year career, he’s been voted inside the top 10 all three years—a feat never before seen in Ballon d’Or folklore.

As a result of his greatness at such a tender age, Yamal has rightfully become synonymous with the Ballon d’Or’s Kopa Trophy, handed to the best young talent in the world under the age of 21.

This year, Yamal extended his own record of being the only player in history to win the Kopa Trophy multiple times, collecting the award for the third year in a row.

His reaction to the historic triumph? Stating he wished the award had instead gone to fellow 2007-born Barcelona and Spain teammate Pau Cubarsí.

After two podium finishes in the Ballon d’Or, it’s clear Yamal no longer feels like the KopaTrophy is enough validation for what he’s accomplished and produced on the pitch. It’s a prestigious award, no doubt, but for the last two years, Yamal has left the Ballon d’Or ceremony carrying the Kopa Trophy on his hands yet still feeling disappointed.

Lamine Yamal Ballon d’Or Finishes

Lamine Yamal Thought the Ballon d’Or Was His, Instead he Regressed

It’s easy to understand why Yamal thought the 2026 Ballon d’Or was going his way. After finishing runner-up to Ousmane Dembélé last year, Yamal went on to have the best season of his career in 2025–26.

Yamal continued his generational trajectory, leading Barcelona in both goals and assists in 2025–26 to help the Catalans defend their La Liga title and conquer the Spanish Super Cup crown. He was named the La Liga player of the season, edging out Mbappé for the recognition.

Statistically, Yamal also improved. After collecting 43 goal contributions in 2024–25, Yamal had 45 in 2025–26 and eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career.

But the main reason why many—including himself—believed the 2026 Ballon d’Or was destined to be his is that Yamal won the 2026 World Cup title with Spain, featuring in all eight matches of La Roja’s journey to glory in North America.

Yamal recovered from a hamstring tear that ended his club season and made his World Cup debut this summer. Although he never truly returned to his pre-injury level, he was still an untouchable cog in Luis de la Fuente’s well-oiled machine en route to glory.

With dazzling, productive individual performances all season under his belt, plus domestic titles and the World Cup trophy on his résumé, it seemed like Yamal had done enough to improve on his 2025 Ballon d’Or runner-up finish. That didn’t happen, to the contrary, he finished one spot below in the 2026 rankings.

How Lamine Yamal Can Win the Ballon d’Or in 2027

It’s become abundantly clear that Yamal was penalized in the 2026 Ballon d’Or voting because he lacked that marquee individual moment for Spain in the 2026 World Cup. Had the hamstring injury not happened when he was at the peak of his powers or had he managed to produce at least one goal contribution during the knockout rounds of the tournament, the 2026 Ballon d’Or outcome might’ve gone his way.

France Football’s Vincent Garcia even recently stated that votes that likely would’ve gone for Yamal instead went to other members of Spain’s World Cup winning side. Rodri, his teammate for club and country, won the World Cup Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player and finished one spot behind Yamal in the Ballon d’Or rankings.

“IT WILL COME” Yamal wrote after finishing third in the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings, finishing his social media post hinting at what he needs to do to claim the top prize next year: “my focus is again on what’s important, to make FC Barcelona win again.”

With no major international tournament’s taking place in 2026–27, what players produce and the major trophies they collect for their clubs will certainly be the determining factor in the race for the 2027 Ballon d’Or—as was the case when Dembélé won in 2025.

For Yamal to avoid coming just short in 12 months time, he must help Barcelona maintain their dominance over Spanish soccer, mainly by winning a third consecutive La Liga title. But the most important thing will be for him to finally complete his promise and end Barcelona’s 11-year wait for a Champions League title

His contributions must be significant, though, or else he runs the risk of history repeating itself and splitting votes with another teammates—namely Raphinha. On the biggest of stages, Yamal must silence those who say he’s disappeared in big games, regardless of how real that assumption is—he didn’t help himself with a largely anonymous performance in the first El Clásico of the season.

Yamal is well on his way to shatter the most productive statistical season of his career, recently becoming the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double digit goals and assists in 2026–27. He must continue on that track, because Kane scoring 73 goals in 2025–26 played a huge factor in his recent triumph. Yamal doesn’t have to match that production, but elevating his numbers will certainly help his case.

He’s been flirting with the Ballon d’Or for two years now, but to get over the line, Yamal must have an undeniable case that makes his claim impossible for voters to reject. He’s got the talent, the desire, the style and the team around him to achieve it.

Leading Barcelona to the promise land, conquering the one major club trophy he’s missing would not only see Yamal complete the sport as a teenager, it would also most likely suffice for him to become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in history in 2027.