Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has claimed his teammate Pau Cubarsi should have won the Kopa Trophy instead of him.

Yamal made the journey to London for the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony on Monday evening, where he was one of the main contenders for the top prize, along with Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

The 19-year-old ultimately had to be content with third place as Kane was named the Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Mbappe.

However, Yamal was not left empty-handed as he picked up his third Kopa Trophy after previously winning the award in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

2024, 2025, 2026… ?? Three years. One name. Lamine Yamal, Young Talent of the Year. https://t.co/pd1wIWbvZV

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 26, 2026

Yamal makes Cubarsi admission after winning Kopa Trophy

After making his way onto the stage at the London Palladium, Yamal gave an honest victory speech in which he claimed Cubarsi should have been named the best young player.

"It's an honour to be here and receive this prize," Yamal said. 

"I would have liked Cubarsi my team-mate to be here, because I think this prize should have been for him.

"He deserved it. He's been playing at an excellent level for some time, and I wish he had won this tonight. This is my third year up here for this prize, and I'm very grateful for this.

"I would like to thank my club and my national team, and I'll continue working to win these collective and individual prizes."

Cubarsi's impressive 2025-26 for club and country

Yamal certainly has reason to feel that Cubarsi was worthy of the Kopa Trophy after the young defender enjoyed a stellar season for Barcelona and Spain.

Cubarsi was a mainstay in Hansi Flick's backline, making 48 competitive appearances across all competitions as the Blaugrana retained their league title and the Spanish Super Cup.

The 19-year-old helped Barcelona finish the 2025-26 La Liga campaign with the second-best defensive record, with just 36 goals conceded in 38 games.

Cubarsi then played every minute of Spain's triumphant World Cup campaign, where he helped Luis de la Fuente's side record seven clean sheets in eight matches and picked up the Young Player of the Tournament award.