Lamine first in Balón d'Or voting in 13 countries

Lamine Yamal finished third in the Balón d'Or voting with 881 points; 13 countries ranked him first, and he won the Kopa Trophy for best young player for the third consecutive year.

Lamine Yamal secured third place in the 2024 Balón d'Or voting with 881 points, behind Harry Kane (1,055) and Kylian Mbappé (1,027). At 19 years old, he remains on track to become the youngest winner in history if he continues his trajectory; Ronaldo Nazário currently holds that record at 21.

The Barcelona forward was voted first by 13 countries: Albania, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Honduras, Jordan, North Macedonia, Mexico, Wales, Portugal, Switzerland, Tunisia and Turkey. Kane topped the voting in 40 countries, while Mbappé led in 23, including Spain. Yamal also won the Kopa Trophy for players under 21 for the third consecutive year, earning 96 points ahead of Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí (94).

Manager Hansi Flick defended Yamal's credentials in his post-match press conference, stating: "You know my opinion on Lamine, he is at the level to win the award. We accept the result, I'm happy it's finished and we can now focus on the important things."