Lamine Yamal Tipped for 2026 Ballon d'Or: Meet the 5 Youngest Winners in History
- Lamine Yamal is on course to become the youngest player in history to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or later this year
- The Barcelona star has emerged as the bookmakers' favourite, although he faces stiff competition from Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé
- Only five players have lifted the Ballon d'Or before turning 24, with Ronaldo still holding the record as the youngest-ever winner
Lamine Yamal is on course to make football history after emerging as the favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or following a sensational campaign for Barcelona and Spain.
The teenage forward enjoyed another outstanding season, scoring 16 goals and providing 12 assists in La Liga.
Source: Getty Images
Lamine Yamal tipped as Ballon d'Or favourite
According to Transfermarkt, he has also registered 10 goal involvements in the UEFA Champions League before playing a starring role in Spain's successful FIFA World Cup campaign.
Yamal narrowly missed out on the award in 2025 after finishing second to Ousmane Dembele.
This time, however, the 19-year-old is widely regarded as the leading contender, ahead of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Rodri.
If he lifts football's most prestigious individual prize, Yamal will become one of the youngest Ballon d'Or winners ever.
Youngest Ballon d'Or Winners in History
Only five players have won the Ballon d'Or before turning 24.
5. Oleg Blokhin (23 years, 55 days)
The Soviet forward, who played for Dynamo Kyiv, claimed the 1975 Ballon d'Or by defeating football legends Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff in the voting. Blokhin became the first Ukrainian and only the second Soviet player to lift the prestigious prize.
4. George Best (22 years, 212 days)
The Northern Irish winger was the first from his nation to win the award. Best claimed the 1968 Ballon d'Or after scoring 32 goals and helping Manchester United secure their first European Cup title. He followed Denis Law (1964) and Bobby Charlton in bringing the trophy to Old Trafford.
3. Lionel Messi (22 years, 160 days)
Messi's first of eight Ballon d'Ors came on the back of a historic year at Barcelona, where he helped the club win the UEFA Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey in 2009. He scored nine goals in the Champions League campaign alone, including one in the final against Manchester United.
2. Michael Owen (22 years, 4 days)
The English striker claimed the 2001 Ballon d'Or after helping Liverpool win a treble comprising the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup. Owen edged out Real Madrid's Raúl and Bayern Munich's Oliver Kahn in the vote, becoming the first Englishman to win the award since Kevin Keegan in 1979.
1. Ronaldo Nazário (21 years, 92 days)
The Brazilian legend remains the youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history. Ronaldo earned the 1997 award after scoring 47 goals in 49 matches during the 1996/97 season, winning the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup before lifting the Copa América with Brazil.
Can Lamine Yamal break Ronaldo's record?
Yamal cannot surpass Ronaldo's record because he will be older than 21 when the 2026 Ballon d'Or is presented.
However, victory would still see him join one of football's most exclusive groups and further cement his place among the game's brightest young stars.
Source: YEN.com.gh
