Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has backed his teammate, Pau Cubarsi, to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or Men’s Young Talent of the Year award, also known as the Kopa Trophy.
Yamal described Cubarsi as the only player deserving of the award this year.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 26, while France Football began announcing nominees for the different award categories on Monday, September 8.
The Kopa Trophy is awarded to the best-performing player under the age of 21. Yamal and Cubarsi are both among the 10 nominees for this year’s award.
Other players on the shortlist include Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, Yan Diomandé, Lennart Karl, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Ibrahim Maza, Johan Manzambi, Éli Junior Kroupi and Kerim Alajbegović.
Yamal expressed his support for Cubarsi in an Instagram post.
He wrote: “@paucubrasi he’s the only winner!!”
Cubarsi is considered one of the leading contenders for the award after an impressive 2025-26 season with Barcelona and Spain.
The 19-year-old defender played an important role in Barcelona’s league title success last season, scoring one goal in 31 appearances.
He also impressed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Spain, helping the team win the tournament. Cubarsi was subsequently named the Young Player of the Tournament.
Across all competitions during the period under review, Cubarsi made 62 appearances, scoring one goal and providing two assists. He also received five yellow cards and one red card.
Meanwhile, Yamal is the current holder of the Kopa Trophy. The Barcelona star won the award in 2024 and retained it in 2025, becoming the first player to win the prize in consecutive years.
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