Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made his predictions for some of European football’s biggest prizes, with Barcelona and Lamine Yamal featuring prominently.

The former Barcelona striker was asked to pick the winners of La Liga, the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or during a quick-fire segment shared by ESPN FC.

His answers were brief, but clear.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Backs Barcelona for La Liga and Champions League

Asked who he expects to win La Liga, Ibrahimovic simply answered: “Barcelona.”

He gave the same response when asked to predict the Champions League winner.

For the Ballon d’Or, Ibrahimovic chose Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal.

The prediction represents another major endorsement of Yamal, while Ibrahimovic's backing of Barcelona comes as Hansi Flick’s side look to build on their strong start to the season.

Ibrahimovic knows the club well after spending the 2009-10 season at Camp Nou, although his latest predictions were not accompanied by an explanation.

Why Ibrahimovic Continues to Back Lamine Yamal for the Ballon d’Or

Ibrahimovic’s selection of Yamal is also consistent with comments he made about the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, Ibrahimovic said he would have given the award to Yamal rather than eventual winner Ousmane Dembele.

“You have to judge the player on his ability to make a difference individually,” Ibrahimovic said. “For me, Yamal did.”

Yamal ultimately finished second in the 2025 voting behind Dembele, but he won the Kopa Trophy for the second consecutive year.

The Barcelona winger is now among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or and is also nominated for the Young Talent of the Year award. The ceremony will take place in London on 26 October.

That gives Ibrahimovic’s latest prediction a clear context. His support for Yamal is not new, and the 19-year-old is once again in contention for the biggest individual prize in the game.

Barcelona Have Made a Fast Start Under Hansi Flick

Ibrahimovic’s prediction for La Liga comes after Barcelona made a perfect start to their league campaign.

Flick’s side beat Sevilla 3-1 in their seventh La Liga match, with Raphinha scoring a hat-trick as Barcelona came from behind at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.

The result left Barcelona with 21 points from seven league matches, while their winning run across all competitions reached eight games.

Barcelona are chasing a third consecutive La Liga title, while the Champions League remains the major prize missing from Ibrahimovic’s prediction equation.

The season is still in its early stages, but Ibrahimovic has already made his choices clear: Barcelona for both major European competitions and Lamine Yamal for the Ballon d’Or.