Yamal after finishing third in Ballon d'Or: “My time will come”

Spanish star Lamine Yamal responded to finishing third in the 2026 Ballon d'Or behind England's Harry Kane, the winner, and France's Kylian Mbappé, saying his “time will come” if he keeps working at the same level.

The 19-year-old Barcelona winger said beautiful things take time and that he trusts the path he is building without rushing. He congratulated the winners and said he will focus on leading Barcelona to victories.

Yamal won the young player award for the third year running, after finishing runner-up in 2025 behind Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé. He had earlier said he believed he deserved the award this year.

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or, with Real Madrid's Mbappé second.