PARIS, Oct. 27 — Spanish forward Lamine Yamal etched his name into football lore on Monday night, becoming the first player in history to capture the prestigious Kopa Trophy for a third consecutive time during the annual Ballon d’Or gala in Paris.
Although the premier men’s Ballon d’Or honor went to England captain Harry Kane following a closely contested ballot, the FC Barcelona sensation walked away with the under-21 world player accolade. Yamal previously lifted the award in both 2024 and 2025; by securing the 2026 title, he broke the historic threshold, surpassing all previous two-time recipients of the trophy named in honor of legendary French playmaker Raymond Kopa.
Taking the stage to accept the trophy, the teenage forward demonstrated remarkable sportsmanship by publicly dedicating the spotlight to his Barcelona and international teammate, center-back Pau Cubarsí.
“It is a tremendous privilege to stand here and receive this honor once again, but I truly believe Pau Cubarsí deserved to be on this stage tonight,” Yamal said during his acceptance speech. “Cubarsí has performed at an exceptionally world-class level with unflinching consistency week in and week out. I genuinely wanted to see him take this trophy home.”
Reflecting on his unprecedented individual milestone, the Spanish winger reaffirmed his focus on collective team success.
“Winning this trophy three times in a row is something I could never take for granted. I am deeply thankful to Barcelona, the national team, my family, and everyone standing by me. The objective remains clear: to continue working tirelessly to win silverware for club and country while pushing my limits on the pitch.”