Lamine Yamal Wins Third Straight Kopa Trophy

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal won the 2026 Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on October 26, becoming the first player to win it three times in a row.

The Kopa Trophy, introduced by France Football in 2018, goes to the best young footballer in the world under the age of 21. Yamal first won it in 2024, when he was 17, after his breakthrough season at Barcelona and Spain's European Championship triumph. He retained it in 2025, becoming the first player to win it twice. His third success makes him the only player to have won it three times in a row. Previous winners, including Kylian Mbappe, Matthijs de Ligt, Pedri, Gavi and Jude Bellingham, have each won it once.

Yamal, who is 19, beat nine other nominees this year. They included his Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsi, Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl, Yan Diomande, Warren Zaire-Emery, Johan Manzambi and Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi, who joined Manchester City during the summer.

It was another big year for the winger. In the 2025-26 season he played 45 matches in all competitions, scoring 24 goals and providing 18 assists. He helped Barcelona win La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, and he was part of the Spain squad that won the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to La Liga, he scored 16 goals and provided 12 assists in the league and was named the competition's Player of the Season.

After the win, Yamal said that his Barcelona teammate Cubarsi was the player who deserved the award. His third Kopa Trophy has also sparked some debate, with some observers questioning how his season at Barcelona and at the World Cup compared with those of the other nominees.

The Kopa Trophy has now gone to Barcelona players five times, with Pedri winning in 2021 and Gavi in 2022 before Yamal began his run in 2024. Yamal remains eligible for the award in future editions, which means he has the chance to extend his own record even further.