Flick praises Yamal’s response to Ballon d’Or third place
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said the 19-year-old winger responded to finishing third in the 2026 Ballon d’Or vote with focus in training as the La Liga leaders seek to end a two-game losing run.
Focal Brief
Hansi Flick praised Lamine Yamal’s response to missing out on the Ballon d’Or, saying on Friday that the Barcelona winger had trained with focus before the club’s October 31 home match against Alavés.
Focal Facts
- Harry Kane won the men’s Ballon d’Or on October 26, with Kylian Mbappé second and Yamal third.
- The official vote totals were Kane 1,055 points, Mbappé 1,027 and Yamal 881.
- Barcelona entered Saturday’s scheduled home match against Alavés first in La Liga with 27 points from 10 games.
Focal Point
The immediate signal is whether Yamal’s training-ground response translates into Barcelona’s performance against Alavés, after consecutive defeats interrupted the club’s winning start to the season.
Flick said Kane deserved the award but maintained that Yamal was already capable of winning it. The coach said he was proud of the teenager’s reaction and described his mentality as beneficial to the team.
The remarks came four days after Kane received the prize in London. Yamal, who won La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain during the award period, placed behind Kane and Mbappé in the final ranking.
Barcelona’s next match offers a rapid test of the broader response Flick is seeking. The club won its opening 11 games in all competitions before losing 4-2 away to Paris Saint-Germain and 2-1 at home to Real Madrid.
Flick said Barcelona had to accept those defeats and learn from them, while emphasizing that trophies are decided at the end of the season. The next consequential question is whether Yamal and the league leaders can turn Flick’s positive assessment of training into a result against Alavés.