Lamine Yamal surprises Thierry Henry with one of the most remarkable Ballon d'Or speeches

Lamine Yamal surprised co-host Thierry Henry when he said his Kopa Trophy award for the best young player at the Ballon d'Or should have been given to a Barcelona team-mate instead.

Yamal was announced as the winner of the Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year at the London Palladium.

But the 19-year-old, who is also a leading contender for the Ballon d'Or, surprised everyone by using most of his speech to dedicate it to his team-mate Pau Cubarsi.

Yamal dedicates Ballon d'Or young player award to fellow Barcelona star

After stepping on to the stage to receive his award, Yamal said in Spanish (as translated on-air by DAZN): "Good evening, everybody. It is an honour to be here and receive this incredible prize.

"I would have liked Pau Cubarsi, our team-mate, to be here, because I think this prize should have been for him. He deserved it. He's been playing at an exceptional level and I wish he'd have won this tonight.

"This is my third year of being here for this prize, and I'm very grateful. I'd like to thank my club, my national team, and everybody, and I'd like to continue working to win these collective and individual prizes."

Henry then asked Yamal whether the Kopa Trophy was 'the one he really wanted' on the night, to which the World Cup winner laughed before replying: "All of them! Talking about this reward specifically, this one should have been for Cubarsi."

"Wow! Very nice," Henry said in response. And Yamal received significant praise on social media.

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Fans react to Lamine Yamal's Kopa Trophy speech

"These guys forget that some of these players are just kids who are playing together for their childhood club," one fan wrote on X (Twitter).

"Lamine Yamal spending his entire his entire speech saying Pau Cubarsi should have won the award instead of him is just wonderful," another said.

"Lovely from Yamal to dedicate the Kopa Trophy to Cubarsi," another said.

Cubarsi was nominated for both the Kopa Trophy and Ballon d'Or awards, like Yamal, and was announced as having placed 12th for the latter ahead of the ceremony getting underway in London.

Cubarsi was not able to attend the ceremony in person, however. Spanish radio station Cadena SAR reported earlier on Monday that he had decided to stay in Spain to rest after 'the physical demands of recent weeks', while Barca head coach Hansi Flick also didn't travel.

Yamal's success was followed by a Barcelona double for best young player, as Vicky Lopez won the women's Kopa Trophy. The 20-year-old also lifted the award in 2025, and helped Barca to win Liga F and the Champions League last term.