Top 10 Youngest Ballon d’Or Winners: Will Lamine Yamal Break the Record?

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The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award in football. Presented annually by France Football, it recognizes the best players in the world based on their performances over the calendar year across club and international football.

Throughout its history, the Ballon d’Or has been awarded to some of the sport’s greatest icons, players who have reached their peak through consistency, excellence, and impact. While most winners earned the honor in their prime, a select group of players lifted the golden ball at a remarkably young age.

In the 2024–25 season, FC Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal is emerging as a serious contender to win the Ballon d’Or and become the youngest player ever to do so.

Top 10 Youngest Ballon d’Or Winners

Player	Age at Win	Year	Club
Johan Cruyff	24 years, 8 months, 3 days	1971	Ajax
Marco van Basten	24 years, 1 month, 27 days	1988	AC Milan
Eusébio	23 years, 11 months, 3 days	1965	Benfica
Cristiano Ronaldo	23 years, 9 months, 27 days	2008	Manchester United
Oleg Blokhin	23 years, 1 month, 25 days	1975	Dynamo Kyiv
George Best	22 years, 7 months, 2 days	1968	Manchester United
Lionel Messi	22 years, 5 months, 7 days	2009	FC Barcelona
Michael Owen	22 years, 4 days	2001	Liverpool
Paolo Rossi	21 years, 11 months	1982	Juventus
Ronaldo Nazario	21 years, 3 months, 5 days	1997	Inter Milan

Lamine Yamal: A Teenage Star Close to Making History

In his first full season with FC Barcelona’s first team, Lamine Yamal has gone from a young talent to one of the most exciting players in world football. At just 17 years old, the Spanish winger is already being discussed as a strong candidate for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

A Season Full of Big Moments

Yamal’s 2024–25 season has been full of key performances and records. He scored 17 goals and made 25 assists in all competitions. He played a major part in helping Barcelona win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup.

He also shone for Spain at Euro 2024. He scored a great goal in the semi-final against France and assisted in the final. He was named Young Player of the Tournament and was considered one of the best players of the whole event.

Awards and Recognition

Yamal’s performances earned him many awards. He was the youngest ever to win the 2024 Kopa Trophy, given to the best under-21 player in the world. He also received the Golden Boy Award and the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year.

He finished eighth in the 2024 Ballon d’Or voting, which is remarkable since he was only 16 years old at the time.

What Comes Next

If Yamal keeps playing at this high level, especially if Barcelona does well in the Champions League, or Spain wins more trophies, he could become the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in history.

To break the record, he would have to beat the mark set by Ronaldo Nazário, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1997 at 21 years and 3 months old.

Yamal plays with great intelligence, calmness, and skill. He already looks like a top-level player, even though he is still a teenager. The Ballon d’Or is usually won by players in their late 20s, but Yamal is proving that age might not matter.

The Ballon d’Or has always been given to players who shape the game. Very few have won it before the age of 23. Only one Ronaldo won it at 21. Now, Lamine Yamal is in a position to break that record and win it as a teenager.

If he does, he won’t just make history, he’ll begin a new chapter in football, led by one of the most naturally talented young players the game has seen in years.