Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal has been tipped to make football history by winning the Ballon d'Or in London next week. At just 19 years old, the winger is backed by pundit Rory Jennings to surpass Ronaldo Nazario, who set the benchmark as the youngest-ever recipient in 1997 at age 21. Yamal recently reinforced his status by scoring against reigning Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, hitting double figures in both goals and assists after only 12 games in all competitions this season.
The teenage forward enjoyed a remarkable past season, racking up 16 goals and 11 assists in 28 matches to propel Barcelona to their second consecutive La Liga title, alongside lifting the Supercopa de Espana. On the international stage, the 37-cap Spain star overcame fitness issues to win the 2026 World Cup. Six days after his 19th birthday, Yamal became the third-youngest player to start a final, completing all 120 minutes of Spain's 1-0 extra-time victory against Argentina while recording a tournament-best 58 dribbles.
After finishing runner-up to Ousmane Dembele last year and securing the Kopa Trophy for two straight seasons, Yamal is considered the leading candidate for the main prize. "I don’t see how you cannot give it to Yamal, to be honest," Jennings told talkSPORT.com, placing the Spaniard ahead of Rodri and Kylian Mbappe on his projected podium. Yamal's dominance is also backed by statistics; before turning 20, he amassed 27 Champions League goal involvements, dwarfing the teenage outputs of Lionel Messi (three) and Cristiano Ronaldo (one).
Despite Yamal's open desire to claim multiple Golden Balls, Jennings doubts anyone will ever rival Messi’s record total of eight trophies. While the Inter Miami playmaker collected his first award at age 22 in 2009, Jennings believes the sport has shifted away from a two-man era. With minimal separation between Yamal and contenders like Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior, Jennings expects future honours to be shared among half a dozen players rather than dominated by a single star.