Lamine Yamal was pipped to the Ballon d'Or by Harry Kane at the awards ceremony at London's Palladium on October 26, and the Barcelona superstar has issued a classy statement after missing out on the award.

Yamal was one of the favourites for football's most prestigious individual award after scoring 24 goals for Barcelona in the 2025/26 campaign before starring in Spain's World Cup-winning triumph.

The 19-year-old would have been a worthy winner if he had been selected by the majority and instead had to settle for his third Kopa Trophy, the award given to the world's best young player at the Ballon d'Or.

Lamine Yamal's first words after missing out on Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane

When he stepped onto the stage to collect his Kopa Trophy after also winning it in 2024 and 2025, Yamal received widespread praise for his reaction, suggesting that his teammate Pau Cubarsi deserved it instead.

Yamal said in Spanish (as translated on-air by DAZN): "Good evening, everybody. It is an honour to be here and receive this incredible prize.

"I would have liked Pau Cubarsi, our teammate, to be here, because I think this prize should have been for him. He deserved it. He's been playing at an exceptional level, and I wish he'd have won this tonight.

"This is my third year of being here for this prize, and I'm very grateful. I'd like to thank my club, my national team, and everybody, and I'd like to continue working to win these collective and individual prizes."

A classy comment from someone so young went viral on social media, and he's since released an equally mature statement after missing out on the Ballon d'Or to Kane.

"IT WILL COME. Good things take time. I trust the path I’m building. I’m in no hurry, and I’m confident that one day my time will come," Yamal wrote on Instagram.

“Congratulations to the winners. My focus is back on what’s important: making FC Barcelona win again.”

More to follow...