The quality of FC Barcelona was once again recognized at the top European level last night as the Ballon d’Or gala was held in London. However, this was a night both of happiness and disappointment for the Blaugrana club.
The disappointment was mostly because their forward Lamine Yamal did not win the Ballon d’Or. [He was one of the leading candidates for this award this year](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/lamine-yamal-sends-old-ballon-dor-message-to-mbappe-i-deserve-it/), but ultimately ended up third on the list, with Harry Kane winning the prize, and Kylian Mbappe finishing second.
However, as [MARCA](https://www.marca.com/futbol/barcelona/2026/10/26/lamine-yamal-gana-trofeo-kopa-tercer-ano-consecutivo.html) has reported, the Barcelona forward still ended up winning a prize on the night, i.e., the Kopa Trophy, the annual prize given by France Football to recognize the best under-21 talent in the world. This is the third consecutive time Yamal has won this award.
The award was initiated in 2018, and the Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe was its first recipient. Matthijs de Ligt, Pedri, Gavi, and Jude Bellingham followed Mbappé as winners before the Blaugrana forward began to dominate the award.
While accepting the award, Yamal wished that one of his teammates, Pau Cubarsi, who finished second on the list for this prize, should have won it:
**“I would have liked Cubarsí, my teammate, to be here. This award should have gone to him. I wish he had won it.”**
Meanwhile, he also thanked Barcelona and the Spanish national team for having helped him win this award:
**“I’d like to thank my club and my national team. I have to keep working to win collective and individual titles like this one.”**
In addition to Yamal getting the Kopa award, the FC Barcelona women’s team was also recognized as the best in Europe, and their coach, Pere Romeu, was also given the best manager in women’s football. However, the top prize once again eluded Lamine Yamal, who dropped from his second position last year to third this year.