The competition reignites again for the famous "Onze d'Or" award granted by the French magazine "Onze Mondial", as the young Spanish star Lamine Yamal enters the race strongly this year as one of the most prominent candidates with the best chances to win the title.
Lamine Yamal entered a fierce competition in last year's edition 2025 against Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé; the latter clinched it by a narrow margin not exceeding 2.5% of the fans' votes, repeating the Ballon d'Or scenario for the same year.
Yamal, the 2026 World Cup winner with Spain, is on a list of 11 players nominated by the famous French magazine to compete for the title of best player in the world.
This award is distinguished from others by relying entirely on the voice of the football street, as the winner is decided through a direct fan poll on the magazine's official website.
List of nominees for the 2026 Onze d'Or award
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - Paris Saint-Germain
Michael Olise - Bayern Munich
Bruno Fernandes - Manchester United
Kylian Mbappé - Real Madrid
Vitinha - Paris Saint-Germain
Ousmane Dembélé - Paris Saint-Germain
Lamine Yamal - Barcelona
Harry Kane - Bayern Munich
João Neves - Paris Saint-Germain
William Saliba - Arsenal
Declan Rice - Arsenal
Barcelona's rich history with the Onze d'Or award
The award, which began in 1976 with Dutchman Rob Rensenbrink as the first winner, has a rich history with Barcelona players.
Legend Lionel Messi tops the list of most winners with 4 titles, while stars who wore the Catalan club's jersey such as Diego Maradona, Thierry Henry, and Ronaldo Nazário won it twice each.
The list of one-time winners also includes Ronaldinho, Hristo Stoichkov, Antoine Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembélé.
Coaches' race and the ideal lineup for 2026
A report from the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" noted that the competition was not limited to players; the poll allows fans to choose the best coach in the world from a list that includes:
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Pierre Sage (Lens / Crystal Palace)
Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich)
Barcelona coaches have a historically rich record in this award, led by Pep Guardiola who won it 3 times during his tenure with the team, alongside Johan Cruyff (twice) and Frank Rijkaard (once).
Meanwhile, this year's ideal lineup nominations featured only 3 Barcelona players: Lamine Yamal, Pedri González, and Pau Cubarsí.
This continues the presence of Barcelona elements in previous editions, which saw prominent names such as Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Marc-André ter Stegen, Ronald Araújo, and Samuel Umtiti.
