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The 2024 winner, who took the Golden Ball at this summer's World Cup and joined Barcelona in August, told La Vanguardia that his own club has come down on Lamine Yamal's side for the award, that he considers it entirely legitimate, and that he would like a Spaniard to win it.
Five of the thirty Ballon d'Or nominees have made their case publicly since the shortlist landed, three of them in France Football, the magazine that runs the award. Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembélé, Fabián Ruiz and Harry Kane, in their own words.
Across the top five leagues this weekend the visiting side won more often than the host, and more than a third of the matches could not be separated at all. Four finished goalless.
Manchester City won at Old Trafford a man down, Barcelona beat Levante 4-2 to stay perfect, Harry Kane scored his 100th Bundesliga goal, and Juventus lost at Sassuolo. Forty three matches down, five to come on Monday.
Ferran Torres scored three in PSG's 6-1, Ermedin Demirović three in twelve minutes for Stuttgart, and Aston Villa, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all won. Twelve games down, six to come on Thursday.
France Football named the 30 men's nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or on Tuesday. Barcelona have three: Pau Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal, and Rodri, who they signed in the summer. Pedri, Raphinha, Fermín López and Dani Olmo are all missing.
Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães and Anthony Gordon have all gone for around £236 million between them, and the money went back out on teenagers. Nico González, agreed on Monday for £47 million plus £3 million, is the first replacement bought at the level of the players who left.
City missed Chelsea's deadline to bid for Enzo Fernández and are now expected to come back before Tuesday's cut off. Chelsea still want £120 million, there have been no club-to-club talks, and Fernández was left out at Luton on Thursday.
Thirty six clubs learned their eight opponents in Monaco. Here are the cards, club by club: Arsenal drew Real Madrid, Barcelona got Manchester City and PSG, and Liverpool avoided everybody.
