Mounir Nasraoui, father of Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, has criticised the voting process for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, suggesting that Real Madrid’s influence in Spain may have contributed to his son finishing behind Kylian Mbappé.
Yamal finished third in the voting with 881 points, behind Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who won the award with 1,055 points, and Real Madrid forward Mbappé, who came second with 1,027 points.
Kane claimed the prestigious honour following an impressive season in which he reportedly scored 73 goals in 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and England.
The ceremony was held at the London Palladium on October 26, with Yamal missing out on the top prize for the second consecutive year. The Spanish youngster finished second in the previous edition, behind Ousmane Dembélé.
Reacting to the latest outcome, Nasraoui suggested that Mbappé’s association with Real Madrid influenced some Spanish voters in their decision to place the French international ahead of his son.
Speaking on journalist Jota Jordi’s YouTube channel, Yamal’s father said he would like to confront one of the voters who selected Mbappé.
“I wish one day to see on screen one of those who voted for Mbappé, and I would like to speak with him, and you too, my friend, one of Mbappé’s fans,” Nasraoui said.
He also questioned whether club loyalty had influenced the voting, arguing that the Ballon d’Or should recognise individual performance rather than favour a particular team.
“This thing only happens here in Spain. If the best player in the world plays for Real Madrid, then vote for the national team! I’m not saying it’s an award for a player and not for a team. We are in the twenty-first century, man!” he added.
Meanwhile, Yamal adopted a more measured tone in reacting to his third-place finish, expressing confidence that he would eventually win the Ballon d’Or.
The Barcelona youngster, who also collected his third consecutive Kopa Trophy for the world’s best young player, reflected on the outcome in a message shared on Instagram a day after the ceremony.
During the award ceremony, Yamal had also suggested that the Kopa Trophy should have gone to his Barcelona teammate, Pau Cubarsí.
In his Instagram message, the 19-year-old congratulated the winners, noting that good things take time and expressing optimism that his opportunity to win the Ballon d’Or would eventually come.
He also indicated that his focus had shifted back to football, with his immediate priority being to help Barcelona return to winning ways.
