Lamine Yamal was named the Golden Boy for the second time of his career but declared that team-mate Pau Cubarsi should have been the recipient as the Barcelona sensation chased his first Ballon d’Or.

Yamal, 19, was vying for football’s top individual prize after winning the World Cup with Spain in the summer, becoming the first player under 20 to appear and win in both a European Championship and World Cup final.

It came off the back of a domestic season in which he bagged 24 goals and 18 assists across all competitions for Barcelona in another LaLiga-winning season.

He has brought his scintillating form into the new campaign, notching 20 goal contributions in 13 games as Barcelona won nine from their first nine to go clear at the top of the league.

Lamine Yamal was named the winner of the 2026 Golden Boy (Reuters)

After claiming the award for best young player of the year, the Spaniard had the chance to become the first player since Lionel Messi to win both the Ballon d’Or and Golden Boy awards on the…