Lamine Yamal's dad blasts Spain's Ballon d'Or vote after son finishes third behind Kane, Mbappé

Lamine Yamal finished third in the 2026 Ballon d'Or with 881 points, behind winner Harry Kane (1,055 points) and runner-up Kylian Mbappé (1,027 points). Kane's historic win — first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 — came after 73 goals in 65 games for Bayern Munich and England. The ceremony held at London Palladium on October 26.

Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, didn't take it quietly. Speaking on journalist Jota Jordi's YouTube channel, he slammed Spanish voters for allegedly favouring Mbappé because he plays for Real Madrid. "I wish one day to see on screen one of those who voted for Mbappé, and I would like to speak with him," Nasraoui said. He argued the award should reward the best player, not club loyalty: "This thing only happens here in Spain. If the best player in the world plays for Real Madrid, then vote for the national team!"

Yamal himself stayed composed. A day after collecting his third consecutive Kopa Trophy (best young player), he posted on Instagram: "Good things take time," congratulating winners and expressing confidence his Ballon d'Or moment will come. He also felt Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí deserved the main award.

For Nigerian football fans who follow European leagues religiously, this reignites the debate: do individual awards reflect pure talent or club politics? When your favourite player loses out, is it the system or the performance?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/11/03/ballon-dor-2026-lamine-yamals-dad-slams-spain-over-mbappe/