Ballon d’Or 2026: I’ve no doubt – Feyenoord manager picks winner of award

Feyenoord manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has backed Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

The former Netherlands international believes Yamal has the quality and potential to claim the prestigious individual award despite his young age.

Yamal was among the 30 players nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or after another impressive season with Barcelona and Spain.

“He is a player who, at his age, has already won a lot. People come to the stadium expressly for Lamine,” Van Bronckhorst said.

“He has the quality to win the Ballon d’Or. The question is when he will win it. He has the potential, I have no doubt.”

The 19-year-old is expected to face strong competition from Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe and Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi.

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Van Bronckhorst, however, has no doubts about Yamal’s ability to eventually win the award and believes the Barcelona star has already shown enough potential to become the world’s best player.