Yamal Wins Third Kopa Trophy; Henry Jokes About His Goals

Lamine Yamal, 19, claimed the Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on October 26, 2026, cementing his status as the world's best footballer under 21. The Barcelona winger, who won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup with his club and helped Spain win the 2026 World Cup, has now won the award since 2024 with zero breaks—a historic run that underscores Barcelona's dominance in youth football.

During the ceremony, French legend Thierry Henry, serving as host, asked Yamal a light-hearted question: "This is your third trophy. But is this really what you wanted?" Yamal responded simply with "Yes, yes, yes" while smiling, drawing laughter from the audience. In his acceptance speech, Yamal expressed gratitude to his teammates, Barcelona, and the Spanish national team, but notably highlighted his Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí, saying the award should have gone to the young defender instead.

Yamal's 2025–26 season was marked by 25 goals and 20 assists across 57 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona. His performances earned him the La Liga Player of the Year award for the season. At the World Cup, he played in all eight matches, starting in seven, and was instrumental in Spain's tournament victory. Cubarsí, the second-place finisher in the Kopa Trophy voting, was named the Best Young Player at the 2026 World Cup.

Barcelona has now won the Kopa Trophy five times in six years—a dominance unmatched by any other club since the award's introduction in 2018. No other nation has produced multiple Kopa winners besides Spain. The award, voted on by former Ballon d'Or winners, was first won by Kylian Mbappé in 2018, followed by Matthijs de Ligt (2019), Pedri (2021), Gavi (2022), and Jude Bellingham (2023) before Yamal's three-year streak began.

Yamal, a La Masia academy product, remains eligible to win the award at least two more times given his age. His recognition comes as he is among the favorites for the senior Ballon d'Or award, which was also decided at the 2026 ceremony.