The French magazine “France Football” revealed, on Tuesday, the list of candidates for the Ballon d’Or for the best young talent in the world for the year 2026.
The list of candidates, which the French magazine announced on its account on the “X” social networking site, included Moroccan Ayoub Bouadi and Algerian Ibrahim Maza, who starred for their countries’ national teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada this summer.
Also included in the list, which included 10 players, were the Spanish duo Lamine Yamal and Pau Kuparsi, who won the World Cup with the “Matador” team, for the second time in its history, following their 1-0 victory over the Argentine national team, after resorting to extra time, in the final match of the World Cup, last July.
The list also included Ivorian Yann Diomande, German Lennart Karl, Bosnian Karim Alaibegovic, Frenchmen Warren Zaire Emery and Elie Junior Cropi, and Swiss Jonathan Manzambi.
Bouadi, who plays in the midfield position, played a prominent role in the Moroccan national team’s qualification for the quarter-finals in the last World Cup, which contributed to his transfer to the English team Manchester City during the recent summer transfer period.
Mazza also contributed to the Algerian national team qualifying for the round of 32 in the last World Cup, as this was the second time that the “Desert Warriors” team reached the elimination rounds in the World Cup, after the 2014 edition in Brazil.
It is noteworthy that the 70th edition of the Golden Globe Awards will be held in the British capital, London, on Monday, October 26.
Luis de la Fuente, coach of the Spanish national football team, confirmed that his team adhered to its principles and playing style on its way to winning the 2026 World Cup title, noting that this was one of the most important reasons for the success that led Spain to its second world title.
De la Fuente said in an interview with the official website of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), that the victory over Argentina with a goal without a response in the final match held on July 19 will remain one of the greatest moments in the history of Spanish football, explaining that the value of the achievement will become more clear with the passage of time.
He added: “We have always focused primarily on what we can control, which is doing our work well, adhering to our principles and model, and knowing that the closer we get to our idea, the closer we are to winning.”
De la Fuente pointed out that the 2026 edition was a historic tournament, not only because of the participation of 48 teams, but also because of the strength of the competition, as he believed that six, seven or eight teams were able to win the title.
He explained that Spain tried to maintain its principles while raising its level, considering that the key to success was transforming the national team into “the best team in the world.”
Spain began its tournament campaign with a scoreless draw with Cape Verde, but De La Fuente stressed that the result did not negatively affect the team, but rather strengthened his conviction of the necessity of continuing on his path.
He said that the Spanish team faced strong teams such as Portugal, France and Argentina, but he was keen to give his players confidence that the competitors were facing “the best team ever,” which gave the team strength and confidence during the tournament.
The coach praised the team spirit of his players, stressing that the word “family” he used to describe the group came from the heart, and that the players felt that they were part of something bigger than football, which he considered to be one of the team’s most prominent strengths.
Regarding the final match against Argentina, de la Fuente stressed that his team was clear about the necessity of not abandoning its style, noting that trying to match the opponent’s style would have taken Spain away from its chances of winning.
He added that his players showed “professionalism, responsibility, calm and exceptional composure,” and did not allow themselves to be drawn into the style of the Argentine national team, stressing that the result could have been more comfortable, after Spain had opportunities to advance by two or three goals.
De La Fuente also stressed the importance of all the team's players, explaining that the substitute players contributed to deciding more than 70 percent of the team's matches, according to the data possessed by the technical staff, stressing that participating as a starter or entering the 80th minute is not the most important point, but rather the ability to influence and decide.
The Spanish coach also spoke about Lionel Messi, who recently announced his retirement from international football with Argentina, expressing his admiration for the Argentine star, and stressing that his football legacy, like the value of the Spanish title, will increase with the passage of time.
De La Fuente explained that playing in the World Cup final against Messi and the Argentine national team's stars added great value to the historic achievement achieved by Spain.
