Spain and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal is hugged by president of FC Barcelona Joan Laporta
Spain and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal is hugged by president Joan Laporta
Barcelona's domination of the Kopa Trophy has continued thanks to the success of 19-year-old Lamine Lamal.
The teenager was voted as the 2026 winner of the Kopa Trophy, which acknowledges the best footballer in the world under the age of 21. His triumph was announced on Monday and followed back-to-back wins for fellow Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal.
Yama's win means that the Kopa Trophy is heading to the Camp Nou for the fifth time in six years, with Gavi and Pedri preceding Yamal as winners since 2021.
Lamine Yamal has been crowned as the best young footballer in the world
No club but Barcelona has had multiple winners of the award, which was first voted upon in 2018, and no country but Spain has had more than one winner. Yamal is the only individual player with multiple wins and one of only four with multiple appearances on the podium.
The women's award was also won by a Spanish Barcelona player last year, when Vicky Lopez won the inaugural women's Kopa Trophy.
[Ballon d'Or 2026
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[Paris Saint-Germain French forward Ousmane Dembele with the Ballon d'Or award during the 2025 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on September 22, 2025
Paris Saint-Germain French forward Ousmane Dembele with the Ballon d'Or award during the 2025 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on September 22, 2025](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/how-to-watch-ballon-dor-2026-free)
This year, it's Cubarsi's turn. The young defender is going from strength to strength, establishing himself as a regular under Barcelona boss Hansi Flick and could reach more than 150 senior appearances before he turns 20 in December.
The Catalan teenager has already won back-to-back La Liga titles as a trusted Flick lieutenant, and followed Olympic Gold in 2024 with a vital contribution to Spain's World Cup win in 2026.
Cubarsi didn't make the final squad for the European Championship in 2024 but has immediately become a fixture in Luis de la Fuente's side. He played every minute of the World Cup, including their clean sheet in the final against Argentina.
Indeed, they conceded only once in eight matches at the World Cup in North America and Cubarsi was one of the biggest reasons why. It's little wonder his reputation is growing by the week.
Cubarsi joined Barcelona's La Masia system from Girona in 2018 and was soon working his way through Spain's age-level teams and getting the call to progress into Barcelona's first team. He made his debut in 2023 and is a global phenomenon just three years later.
Kylian Mbappe was the first winner of the Kopa Trophy, demolishing the field to claim the inaugural award in the wake of France's World Cup win in 2018. Matthijs de Ligt of Juventus won by a smaller margin ahead of Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix in 2019.
England's Jude Bellingham won the 2023 award while at Borussia Dortmund.