Lamine Yamal has refused to let Monday’s Ballon d’Or disappointment dent his confidence, insisting his “time will come” to win soccer’s most coveted individual honor.

The Barcelona superstar was among three leading candidates for the award in one of the most open races in recent memory, but he eventually finished third behind Kylian Mbappé and first-time winner Harry Kane.

Yamal didn’t leave the ceremony empty-handed, clinching his third successive Kopa Trophy in London, but the 19-year-old will have to wait for the game’s most illustrious prize.

Following a frustrating career setback, Yamal has now responded to his Ballon d’Or snub on Instagram.

“IT WILL COME,” the teenager wrote in capital letters. “Good things take time, I trust the path I’m building. Without a hurry, with excitement and with tranquility that someday my time will come.

“Congratulations to the winners, my focus is again on what’s important, to make FC Barcelona win again.”

Yamal would have been the youngest winner in Ballon d’Or history, with the record currently held by former Barcelona and Brazil striker Ronaldo, and that’s a feat he can still achieve by winning the 2027 award.

After two close calls—Yamal finished second in 2025—there’s nothing preventing him from scooping the Ballon d’Or next year.

Yamal’s Receives Passionate Support From Family

While Yamal showed humility in defeat during yet more Ballon d’Or heartbreak, the player’s uncle, Abdul, was incandescent with rage as he slammed the decision to reward Kane with the trophy.

“My nephew was superb. He is the best player in the world, everyone knows that,” Yamal’s uncle told Cadena SER. “If you are a football fan, you must watch Lamine, not Harry Kane.

“The Englishman is a skillful striker, yes, but my nephew is the best player because of his striking brilliance on the pitch. He is the one who makes the difference.

“He did not win because Lamine is young, he is 19 years old, and he will win more. But Harry has only three days left on the pitch, and we gave him the award.

“He won the World Cup, La Liga and the Super Cup. He plays wonderfully, he had an amazing season, he scores goals no one else can score, passes, assists, everything.”

While Yamal enjoyed an undeniably excellent 2025–26 season for club and country, no unbiased onlooker can begrudge Kane the prize following a campaign in which he scored an astonishing 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern and won the domestic treble.

He also helped England to its best finish at the World Cup since winning the competition in 1966 by netting six times in just seven appearances at the tournament.

Yamal is currently the early front-runner for the 2027 Ballon d’Or, as per the betting odds, and has already made an excellent start to the current season with 20 goal involvements in just 13 outings for Barça.