Lamine Yamal has won the Laureus World Young Sportsperson of the Year Award for 2026 — a new category created by the prestigious ceremony to recognise the best athlete under the age of 21 in world sport. The ceremony took place today, Monday April 20, at the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid.
This is Yamal's second successive Laureus honour. Last year, the then-17-year-old won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award for his extraordinary 2024, in which he became the youngest player to appear in, score in, and play in the final of a European Championship, winning the tournament with Spain one day after his 17th birthday. He was introduced on stage by former Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara.
Collecting the award via video, Yamal said: "I'd like to thank the Laureus Academy for the Award. It's a proud moment for me and my family to receive this Award. I don't want to forget the staff of Barca and the Spanish national team, especially my teammates. Without them I would never have made it here."
The 2025 calendar year was an extraordinary one for the 18-year-old. He helped Barcelona win a domestic treble — La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup — finishing the campaign with 18 goals and 25 assists. He finished runner-up to Ousmane Dembele in the Ballon d'Or rankings, the youngest player ever to do so at his age, and won two Kopa Trophies for the best player under 21 in the world.
This season, Yamal has continued that form. He has 15 La Liga goals and has been the driving force behind Barcelona's title push, which sees them nine points clear with six games remaining. He was also central to their Champions League run, scoring in the UCL quarter-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, before Barca were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate.
The Laureus jury highlighted not only his statistics but his impact on the sport as a whole — the face of a new generation, he turns 19 in July.
