Lamine Yamal has made Ballon d’Or history after becoming the first player ever to receive three nominations for the prestigious award before turning 20.The Barcelona forward was included in the 30-player shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, announced on September 8, giving him a nomination for the third consecutive year after also making the shortlist in 2024 and 2025.Yamal, who was born on July 13, 2007, in Mataró, Spain, is still only 19, but has already established himself as one of the most prominent players in world football for both FC Barcelona and Spain.The achievement is different from simply being nominated multiple times. Legendary figures including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or numerous times, while Yamal’s distinction is the age at which he has accumulated his three nominations.He was also the youngest player ever nominated for the Ballon d’Or, breaking into the shortlist at just 17 years old in 2024.
Yamal has now been nominated three years in a row
Yamal’s first Ballon d’Or nomination came in 2024, when he finished eighth in the voting after playing a key role in Spain’s victory at the 2024 European Championship.A year later, he went even closer to winning the award.Yamal finished second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or, behind Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembele, who had enjoyed a treble-winning campaign.His third consecutive nomination follows another outstanding season for both club and country.For Barcelona, Yamal scored 24 goals and provided 15 assists in 45 games across all competitions, helping Hansi Flick’s side successfully defend their La Liga and Supercopa de España titles.He then played a significant role in Spain’s victorious 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in the United States, Canada and Mexico.Yamal featured in all seven matches of Spain’s run to the World Cup title and scored, and assisted once apiece during the tournament. Spain defeated 10-man defending champions Argentina in the final in New Jersey in July to win their second World Cup.That success has added further weight to Yamal’s case for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, after he had already collected major honours at both club and international level.His club honours include three La Liga titles in 2023, 2025 and 2026, as well as the 2025 domestic treble.Individually, he has won the Kopa Trophy in both 2024 and 2025, making him the only player in football history to win the award for the world’s best young player in consecutive years, making him the only player in football history to win the award for the world’s best young player in consecutive years.
Yamal has already rewritten Spain’s record books
Yamal’s record-breaking Ballon d’Or achievement is only the latest in a series of milestones he has reached at an extraordinarily young age.He has earned 33 caps for Spain’s senior national team and scored seven goals, having become an established figure for La Roja before his 20th birthday.His international career began with another historic achievement.Yamal became Spain’s youngest-ever player and youngest-ever goalscorer when he made his senior debut against Georgia on September 8, 2023, aged just 16 years and 57 days.He went on to win the Euro 2024, the 2025 UEFA Nations League and the 2026 World Cup with Spain.His World Cup campaign also saw him start all seven matches as Spain completed their historic run to the title, making him one of the youngest World Cup winners in football history.The 2026 Ballon d’Or nomination comes after an equally impressive start to the new club season.Yamal drew a blank as Barcelona began their campaign with a 5-0 victory at Elche and again in the 2-0 home win over Athletic Club, before scoring twice in a 3-2 home victory over Rayo Vallecano.He then scored another two goals as Barcelona defeated Valencia 5-0 away from home at the weekend, a result that moved Flick’s side three points clear at the top of the fledgling La Liga standings.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona’s next challenge is against Feyenoord at home on September 9, 10:15 PM IST, as they begin their quest for a first UEFA Champions League title in more than a decade.Yamal’s third Ballon d’Or nomination therefore arrives at a remarkable point in his career. He has already been the youngest nominee in the award’s history, finished eighth and then second, won back-to-back Kopa Trophies, collected major domestic and international honours and helped Spain become world champions.Now, before even turning 20, he has become the first player ever to receive three Ballon d’Or nominations at that age.The 2026 ceremony will take place on Monday, October 26, 2026, at the London Palladium Theatre in London, marking the first time the Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held outside Paris.Alongside Yamal, the 30-player shortlist features leading names including defending winner Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and 39-year-old Lionel Messi, with the winner set to be crowned in London.For Yamal, however, the nomination itself has already secured another unique place in Ballon d’Or history.
