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France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia has offered an explanation for why Lamine Yamal failed to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or, suggesting that fragmented support among Spanish players ultimately worked against the Barcelona forward's chances.
Speaking to L'Equipe, Garcia pointed to the presence of fellow Spain international Rodri in the voting field as a significant complicating factor, arguing that the two players drew from a shared pool of support.
"I do think there was a split in the voting between Rodri and Lamine Yamal from that Spanish team that won the World Cup," Garcia said, as quoted by Barca Blaugranes.
"I think Rodri took votes away from Lamine in this ballot. There was some fragmentation of the Spanish vote, and, above all, Spain stood out as a team. That's why it was difficult to single out one individual performance as being clearly above the rest."
Garcia's remarks suggest that Spain's strength as a collective unit, rather than any weakness in Yamal's individual contribution, made it difficult for voters to consolidate behind a single candidate from the same squad.
Lamine's miss was Harry Kane's gain, as the Englishman was named the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner at the ceremony held in London, with Yamal visibly emotional as the announcement was made.
The 19-year-old had delivered a remarkable campaign, recording 25 goals and 20 assists while collecting a World Cup winners' medal with Spain and a La Liga title with Barcelona, per Ballon d'Or's website.
This marked the second consecutive edition in which Yamal finished as runner-up, having previously lost out to Ousmane Dembele.
Garcia's account implies the vote split proved decisive, preventing the concentrated backing that Kane ultimately received from assembling around the Spanish winger.
Despite back-to-back near-misses and a body of work that has few equals among players his age, Yamal leaves the 2026 ceremony without the Golden Ball.
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Lamine Yamal looked devastated at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony as Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane claimed the prestigious honour.
Images shared online appeared to show the 19-year-old Barcelona star with tears in his eyes while dressed in a black suit.
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