Ballon d'Or Battle Ignites: Candidates and Controversies

Forty-one days. That is all that separates us from the Ballon d'Or verdict, yet the debate is already raging like it’s the eve of the ceremony.

The front pages have made their choice. They want a fight.

Ballon d'Or battle ignites

AS and L'Équipe set the tone this morning, laying out their early candidates and daring everyone else to argue. Out in front: Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé, the two faces of football’s present and future. Behind them, a heavyweight supporting cast: Harry Kane, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz and, yes, Lionel Messi still clinging to the conversation.

Spain’s Catalan press has no intention of sitting this one out. Mundo Deportivo and Sport both lean into the home narrative. Their pages are built around interviews with Rodri and Gabriel Jesus, but when the subject turns to the Ballon d'Or, the message is clear: back Lamine.

The young Barcelona star does not hide. He says he deserves the award. Gabriel Jesus, newly arrived and already picking sides, backs him. The campaign has begun, and it has a very clear Blaugrana tint.

Mourinho, penalties and a familiar smirk

Down in Elche, José Mourinho arrives with his BMV — the attacking trident that has become his latest weapon — fully tuned and roaring. The result matters, of course, but so does the theatre. Mourinho delivers, as always.

Marca picks up the line that cuts through everything else: “No questions about the penalties? Strange, isn’t it?” It is classic Mou. A jab, a smirk, and suddenly the spotlight swings from tactics and form to referees and decisions. The old playbook still works.

Inter, Roma and the English storm

Across the continent, the mood shifts depending on the country and the crisis of the day.

In Italy, the buildup is all about a clash that feels bigger than just three points. Inter and Roma go into their huge Saturday meeting unbeaten, a collision of momentum and expectation that has the Italian press humming. It is early in the season, but matches like this bend the narrative.

In England, the noise is different. Refereeing and VAR dominate the headlines once more, with Howard Webb dragged into the storm. The fallout from the Manchester derby refuses to die down, every decision replayed, every angle dissected. The match is over; the arguments are not.

Valencia twist: Braulio steps in

Then there is Valencia, a club that has become a byword for turbulence in recent years. Superdeporte stands out today for one reason: the shock of a major internal move.

Braulio Vázquez is leaving Osasuna to take charge of Valencia’s sporting operations. It is a bold appointment and a risky one, given the state of the club. The questions write themselves.

Can Braulio pull off the kind of signing that changes everything? Can he tempt someone like Valverde back and drag this version of Valencia out of its current slump? If he does, the joke almost writes itself: they might start measuring up space for a statue at Mestalla.