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Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick says Lamine Yamal has responded remarkably well to missing out on the 2026 Ballon d'Or, claiming the young star has reacted like a true "champion" in the wake of the setback.
For the second consecutive year, Yamal found himself applauding from the audience as another player claimed football's most coveted individual award. Following a runner-up finish to Ousmane Dembélé the previous year, the teenage sensation landed on the Ballon d'Or podium once more, this time finishing behind Kylian Mbappé and eventual winner Harry Kane.
While Yamal's disappointment was evident after being passed over yet again, he offered his congratulations to Kane and insisted his moment "will come." With his attention now firmly back on helping Barcelona succeed, and ahead of their weekend fixture against Alavés, Flick commended his star forward for the mature way he handled the Ballon d'Or disappointment.
"I'm very proud of Lamine," Flick said. "Because he reacted very good, in my opinion. And what I see also in the training, he's very focused and this is the way how champions respond. He's doing a very good job at the moment and I'm very happy that he's on this way. His mentality is also very good for the team."
Captains armband. 19-years-old. pic.twitter.com/5pLwvuvtNj
Yamal didn't leave the London ceremony empty-handed, claiming the Kopa Trophy as the world's finest young player for an unprecedented third straight year. Nevertheless, Yamal admitted he would have preferred the award go to Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí — a sentiment that resonated deeply with Flick as well.
"I said this to him and also to the team," Flick added. "The words he said after the trophy he got, about Pau Cubarsí, it was great for me. Pau normally deserved to win this trophy. Because Lamine, the last two seasons he won it also.
"For me it's the best time to give Pau Cubarsí this trophy, because he played an unbelievable last season and also he played an excellent World Cup."
Flick Believes Yamal is the Best Player in the World
Flick has shown little enthusiasm for Ballon d'Or debate over the past two years in which Yamal has been a genuine contender, even appearing visibly irritated when he revealed that several of his players were heading to London for Monday's ceremony just 24 hours after a defeat to Real Madrid in El Clásico.
That said, Yamal clearly has his sights set on adding a Ballon d'Or to his collection, as demonstrated by the extensive public campaign he launched to make his case. While Flick wasn't entirely on board with Yamal's approach, he made clear he would back his player's ambitions.
"I would not prefer this," Flick said about Yamal's campaigning. "But he is doing it, and has the self-confidence, he wants to win the Ballon d'Or. This is normal as a player, this is an important thing, and important trophy. I will support him."
Earlier this season, Flick had firmly stated that Yamal "deserves to win the Ballon d'Or," and following Barcelona's recent win over Real Betis, he went a step further by declaring him the finest player on the planet.
"This is, for me, at the moment, the best player in the world," said the Barça boss. "I'm very happy with his performance and this is what I want to see. And of course he has a lot of pressure, he's 19 and he played in the past almost every game, also with the national team.
"But he's 100% focused and committed with everything and this is really good. It's amazing, his performance and his attitude and this is how big, big players are."
Time for Yamal and Barcelona to Return to Form
If Yamal is to finally break through and claim the Ballon d'Or next year, guiding Barcelona to glory in both Spain and Europe will be essential.
Both Yamal and Barça burst out of the blocks with an impressive 11-game unbeaten streak to open the season, but the momentum has stalled following back-to-back losses against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid in the space of a week. The back-to-back defeats were significant setbacks, with Yamal largely ineffective in both matches, though Flick remains confident his side can get back on track with the campaign still in its early stages.
"It's a long, long way to the end of the season where you can win the title," Flick said on Friday. "Now is a good moment, nothing happened really bad. Of course we lost against Real Madrid, no one here loves it, the players don't, I don't, the fans don't, the club don't.
"But at the end we have to manage it, and how I said before, I think it was possible to win this game. But we have to accept this defeat and we'll do it, and we'll learn from it."
Yamal is the only player across Europe's top five leagues to have reached double figures in both goals and assists this season. After back-to-back underwhelming displays in defeat, and driven by the sting of yet another Ballon d'Or near-miss, the 19-year-old will be hungry to fire Barça back to winning ways when they face Alavés on Saturday.