Lamine Yamal arrived at the first Ballon d'Or ceremony ever held on English soil with confidence.
Although the young player of African descent didn't win the top award, he left as the most decorated young player in history.
Yamal missed becoming the youngest Ballon d'Or winner ever after failing to hit his peak during Spain's World Cup triumph, though Mbappe outscored him in the World Cup, Champions League and La Liga.
At the ceremony in London on Monday, 26 October, the 19-year-old Barcelona winger finished third behind winner Harry Kane and runner-up Kylian Mbappe.
Kane, 33, won the Men's Ballon d'Or at the 70th edition with 73 goals in 65 games for Bayern Munich and England.
Best young talent
The Ballon d'Or loss could be painful for Yamal, but he made great history of another kind. He won the Kopa Trophy for best young talent for the third consecutive time, the first award of the night.
It caps a rise that started absurdly early. Born on 13 July 2007 in Esplugues de Llobregat, on the edge of Barcelona, Yamal joined La Masia at seven and made his first-team debut at 15 years, nine months on 29 April 2023, the youngest ever for Barcelona.
His background is the story of modern Spain. His father, Mounir Nasraoui, hails from Morocco, while his mother, Sheila Ebana, comes from Equatorial Guinea.
Eligible for Spain, Morocco and Equatorial Guinea, he chose Spain, his country of birth, yet still wears flags of both African countries on his boots, a tribute he showed again at the 2026 World Cup.
African nominees
At the 2026 edition, Africa had 10 nominees across four categories, its biggest presence in years.
For the top award, Moroccan captain and PSG right-back Achraf Hakimi and Senegal's Sadio Mane, second in 2022, made the 30-man shortlist but finished outside the top 10 as votes went to World Cup winners.
Cabo Verde's iconic 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, earned a Yashin Trophy nomination after captaining the debutants through an unbeaten World Cup group stage with a clean sheet against Spain.
Zambia's Barbra Banda and Malawi's Temwa Chawinga were Women's Ballon d'Or nominees, with Chawinga becoming the first African woman in the top 10.
But Africa's wait for a second Ballon d'Or continues. Liberia's George Weah, who later became president, remains the continent's only winner after clinching it in 1995.
