Days after losing the race for the 2026 Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal are at it again. This time the prize is La Liga's Player of the Month award for October, a duel that carries extra weight after the pair's disappointment at the recent ceremony.
La Liga named Real Madrid's Mbappé and Barcelona winger Yamal among the nominees, alongside Real Sociedad's Gonçalo Guedes, Atlético Madrid's Alejandro Grimaldo and Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro.
Kane had taken the 2026 Ballon d'Or, finishing ahead of both Mbappé and Yamal in the race for world football's most prestigious individual prize.
Mbappé leads the scoring in October
Mbappé comes into the Player of the Month race armed with strong numbers. He scored four goals in three La Liga matches during October, keeping up his fine form in a Real Madrid shirt.
His best moments arrived as braces: first against Sevilla, then against Barcelona in the Clásico that ended 2-1 to the Royal Club at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Those goals took the French striker to 11 in La Liga this season, along with two assists, for a total of 13 goal contributions. That leaves him second on the scorers' list behind Barcelona's Raphinha, who has 13 goals.
Thanks to Mbappé's goals, Real Madrid racked up three straight league wins in October and cut the gap to leaders Barcelona to three points, pulling the Royal Club firmly back into the title race.
Yamal competes with impressive figures
Yamal, meanwhile, enters the contest off the back of one goal and two assists in three La Liga matches during October, three direct contributions in the month.
Mbappé may lead on goals and direct contributions over that stretch, but Yamal's nomination underlines his place among the competition's leading lights, built on his attacking role with Barcelona and his standing in the individual awards race.
Across the whole season, Yamal has eight goals and six assists in La Liga, for 14 goal contributions. Mbappé has 11 goals and two assists, for 13.
A chance to make amends after the Ballon d'Or
The Player of the Month award hands the pair a fresh chance to make up for missing out on the Ballon d'Or, which went to Kane despite the levels the Real Madrid and Barcelona stars hit last season.
Yamal had at least claimed the Kopa Trophy for the best young player. Mbappé, for his part, wants to turn his scoring run into a new individual prize, having lost September's Player of the Month award to Raphinha.
Mbappé leads October's goal tally. Yamal holds a slim edge on total goal contributions this season.
The contest stays open until the winner is announced, with the battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona for top spot in La Liga raging on.