Lamine Yamal

Barcelona gave Yamal the club's number 10 — previously worn by Messi — ahead of the 2025/26 season, and he repaid the faith with 24 goals and 18 assists in 45 appearances, directly involved in 41 goals across the campaign.

A hamstring injury in April 2026 ruled him out for the rest of his club season, putting his World Cup participation in doubt, but he recovered in time to be part of Spain's squad and their eventual triumph — beating Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinal, France in the semifinal, and Argentina 1-0 in the final.

Yamal plays as an inverted right winger, cutting onto his stronger left foot to shoot or thread passes — a mirror of the Messi mould he now literally wears the number for, but with his own more direct dribbling instinct.

What separates him even at 19 is decision-making speed in the final third, picking the pass or the shot in the same motion rather than needing a second touch to assess the play.

At 19, Yamal became a World Cup champion in his first appearance at the tournament, immediately fueling debate over whether he could become the youngest Ballon d'Or winner in the award's history.

His injury-interrupted route to the trophy — sidelined for Barcelona's run-in, then a doubt for Spain's opening matches — makes the championship a redemption story on top of a breakout individual season.