Three nominated for the Ballon d'Or
Six nominations. Four players. The organisers of the Ballon d'Or gala, the magazine France Football and UEFA, today announced the list of nominees for the awards that will presented on 26 October in London. FC Barcelona will be strongly represented as Joan Garcia, Rodrigo Hernández, Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal are all potentially in line to win an award.
Joan Garcia, the Yashin Trophy
The first to be announced was the FC Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia. The Catalan is a candidate to be named the best goalkeeper of the 2025/26 season and therefore win the Yashin Trophy. It would be acknowledgement for a great season, his first with Barça, during which he won the Zamora Trophy and was named best LaLiga goalkeeper in Spain. This is the first time Joan Garcia has been nominated for this award.
Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal for the Kopa Trophy...
The next two blaugranes to be named were Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí. Both La Masia players have been nominated for the Kopa Trophy, which acknowledges the best U-21 player. They were both vital to the Spanish Super Cup and LaLiga wins for Barça, and the World Cup win for Spain. This is the third time both players are candidates for this award. What's more, Lamine Yamal could make it three wins in a row.
...and the Ballon d'Or, along with Rodri
Lastly, the candidates for the biggest prize of all were announced – the Ballon d'Or. Three blaugranes could be crowned the world's best player, namely Pau Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal and Rodrigo Hernández.
Either Catalan player could end up winning two awards. This is the third consecutive nomination for the winger, while the central defender receives his first nomination for the world's best player award. Let's not forget that the blaugrana number 5 was chosen as the best young player at the World Cup this summer.
It's the central midfielder's third nomination for the award, after 2023 and then 2024, when of course, he won the Ballon d'Or, so he knows what it feels like to be named the world's best player. The blaugrana number 16 was also key to winning the World Cup with Luis de la Fuente's side and was ultimately named player of the tournament.