NXGN Monthly: Lamine Yamal begins fresh Ballon d'Or charge, Franco Mastantuono makes Real Madrid history and Giovanni Leoni suffers Liverpool heartache with devastating injury

Well, this has been quite the month for you hasn't it, Lamine? There's rarely been a dull moment in Yamal's career ever since he broke into the Barcelona first team as a 16-year-old, but this September might have been the most headline-grabbing time of all.

Yamal began the month on international duty with Spain, supplying three assists across two games as La Roja ripped through Bulgaria and Turkiye with 3-0 and 6-0 wins respectively. So far, so good, but that's when a club-vs-country row broke out, as it was soon revealed that the winger had aggravated a groin problem on Spain's watch, with head coach Luis de la Fuente choosing to keep him in the line of fire despite cruising to two victories. Reports claimed their medical staff even gave Yamal a spinal injection in order to ease the pain, even with his own concerns about playing. This has resulted in a fiery feud, one which is still ongoing, between the Spanish FA and Barcelona.

After sitting out four Barca matches, Yamal made his return from the bench in Sunday's 2-1 triumph against Real Sociedad, coming on and grabbing the winning assist within a minute of stepping back onto the pitch. La Real boss Sergio Francisco said in his post-match press conference: "Lamine's presence on the pitch alone is a threat. It is so difficult to stop him, even bringing on fresh players from the bench to defend him. It's great to watch him play. He showed again that he is most likely the best in the world. His introduction off the bench decided the game."

For most of the watching world though, Yamal's standout moment from September was his night at the Ballon d'Or gala. He was up early on stage to collect the Kopa Trophy for the second year in succession, becoming the first player to win the under-21 award back-to-back, though he finished second to Ousmane Dembele when it came to the Golden Ball, with results showing it wasn't as close run a contest as previously expected.

Though often painted as a petulant and immature character (give the lad a break, he's only 18), Yamal received praise for his statement post-ceremony, taking to Instagram to write: "God's plan is perfect, you have to climb to get to the top. Happy for the Kopa trophy x2 and congratulate @o.dembele7 for the award and the great season." 

Back at Barca, head coach Hansi Flick is excited to see what comes next for his talismanic forward, commenting: "He's doing well, motivated for the coming years. And there's Dembele, who deserved it. He accepted it well and is motivated to prove his worth and, perhaps, have a chance for next season. He's very close to returning. And from what I've seen, he seems to be doing well."

A couple of months ago, Argentine attacker Franco Mastantuono made a decision which will impact the rest of his career and his life. It appeared as though he was joining European champions Paris Saint-Germain amid their sweep to collect the world's premier talents. Then Real Madrid came calling. Now, the 18-year-old is a popular Galactico in the Spanish capital.

There was hope that this would be a transitional season at best for Mastantuono given the huge step up from River Plate, but so far he's looked right at home and not at all burdened by the famously heavy white shirt of Los Blancos. He is already their youngest-ever Champions League debutant and third-youngest foreign player to feature for the first team at all, though these haven't been token gestures from manager Xabi Alonso - Mastantuono is genuinely worthy of a place at Madrid already.

"Franco has a lot going for him. He's only 18 years old. The adaptation has been very good," Alonso recently proclaimed. "I love how competitive he is. He has a lot of energy. Then we have to get him in order. But that competitive gene is fundamental to our team. We're going to enjoy it."

"I'm happy things are going well for him and happy to have a close friend from Argentina. It's good to share training sessions and conversations with him. He's like a little brother to me," Madrid stalwart Federico Valverde said midway through September. "I'm going to try to support him and tell him that he'll always have many more opportunities with this badge, that he'll have thousands of chances to score, that he'll score thousands of goals and win millions of titles. Let him continue enjoying what he plays at the Bernabeu, because not everyone can play there."

Mastantuono scored his first goal for Madrid in their 4-1 hammering of Levante, feigning cutting inside onto his stronger left foot before taking a step in the other direction and firing into the top of the net with his right. The team's recently exposed defensive fragilities have little to do with Mastantuono, who is already building fruitful on-pitch partnerships with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, while he's also spoken of his desire to link up with Jude Bellingham upon the midfielder's return from injury.

"Incredible player! If we can play with 12, even better! Bellingham is incredible, incredible," Mastantuono lauded. "A player who impressed me, a wonderful person, and a unique footballer. Honestly, I've never seen a player like him: such hierarchy, presence on the pitch. I hope he can play as soon as possible, because he'll help us a lot...he has a presence and a level of authority I've never seen before. His calmness and determination make him a different kind of player."

There was also much for Mastantuono to shout about at international level too, becoming the youngest player in Argentine history to don La Albiceleste's No.10 shirt, smashing Diego Maradona's record and stepping into the shoes of Lionel Messi for the world champions in their 1-0 defeat at Ecuador.

Liverpool's inability to finalise the signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day is a plot point which may well go on to define their season. It was also an opportunity for summer arrival Giovanni Leoni to be fast-tracked into first-team action, though it's a window that has been firmly slammed shut by a terrible injury.

Leoni, standing at 6'5" and boasting every inch of presence that ought to come with that, enjoyed a breakout 2024-25 at Serie A side Parma so prominent that he was called into the Italy senior side for their September internationals. The 18-year-old followed this up with a debut for the Reds in their 2-1 Carabao Cup win at home to Southampton, during which he more than showed his credentials for further minutes in Arne Slot's team. He was by and large one of their most impressive performers on a night where several experienced players shrunk. Could Liverpool throw Leoni into more high-pressure matches and see if he's ready to partner his idol, Virgil van Dijk?

Then came the brutal blow. Leoni tore his ACL during the closing stages and looked distraught as he was taken back down the Anfield tunnel. Slot confirmed the news worst feared in the following days. "He is not in a good place because he tore his ACL which means he will be out around a year. Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game, it's very hard to take the positives. There is never a positive side but you try to look at that and that is that he is still so young and he has so many years still go to after he recovers from a terrible injury."

However, though the situation may look bleak for Leoni at the moment, Slot did go on to say that the youngster is in the best place possible to bounce back due to his elder team-mates having to recover from similar adversity. The Dutchman continued: "We have some examples with Virgil and Joe [Gomez] and a lot examples all over the world [of players coming back better]. It hurts more if you are closer to retirement but it's far from ideal. The surgeons and the rehab people are important but it's nice if you can do this with players around who have lived through this and they can give the right energy in the right moments. Our players have shown plenty of compassion for him and they will not stop."

Taking to social media, Leoni himself has said: "I want to sincerely thank every single person who has shown me support in this difficult moment. It wasn't the debut I had always dreamed of, but I will give everything to be back playing in this magical stadium as soon as possible. Thank you so much!"

This may be the last time Leoni features on NXGN Monthly for a while, but we're looking forward to his eventual return and rise.

Around this time last year, centre-back Luka Vuskovic was inducted into the NXGN roll of honour amid a scoring splurge at Belgian Pro League side Westerlo. Twelve months on, he's making waves in Germany with Hamburg.

The Croatian agreed to join Tottenham from Hajduk Split back in 2023 amid interest from Manchester City and PSG, though was only able to join up with Spurs this summer after turning 18. He enjoyed some delightfully dominant pre-season minutes under Thomas Frank's watchful eye before the decision was made to loan him out in order to get valuable first-team experience. The club who stepped forth were Hamburg, where his elder brother Mario played before being dealt a doping ban, which has led to the northern German city being overrun with '#FreeVuskovic' stickers and sentiments.

Vuskovic Jr made his HSV debut in a chastening 5-0 defeat to Harry Kane's Bayern Munich, though the defender himself was not blamed for the scoreline or the team's generally poor performance. That's why it wasn't so surprising that he reacted in style a week later, scoring the opener in a 2-1 win against Heidenheim on his first home appearance. A commanding display in a 0-0 draw with Union Berlin followed.

"He's a monster, for sure," team-mate Miro Muheim said after the stalemate with Union. "I don't think he lost a single header. He's doing a great job. The boy is a superb footballer and is helping us tremendously. Goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes added: "When you see Luka, how he always went for headers as a flexible player. That was something you need in games like this. This aerial dominance he has, this presence. It's simply something that’s good for us."

Union's frustration was best expressed by their assistant manager Sebastian Bonig, who emphatically said: "Vuskovic simply won a lot of headers. That also meant we couldn't get into our game." To be more precise, he won nine headers and 19 duels, more than any other player on the pitch, and this led to the Hamburger Abendblatt christening him as 'Air Vuskovic'.

Predictably, a game that finished 4-6 had a lot of talking points. Eintracht Frankfurt's victory by such a scoreline at Borussia Monchengladbach caught the attention of international media for how ludicrously bonkers it was, with the visitors leading by six goals heading into the final 20 minutes and just about clinging on.

Amid the chaos and nonsense, the delightful Turk Can Uzun put in a performance worthy of more than a mere passing mention in this column. Frankfurt's demolition capped off one hell of a month for the 19-year-old midfielder, who had scored in their previous three matches heading into the affair at Borussia-Park. Uzun ran rings around the hapless hosts, and though the stats showed he only contributed one goal and one assist, he was at the heart of every attack.

It was enough to earn significant and thoughtful praise from Germany legend Lothar Matthaus. "The ball loves him because he consistently makes the right decisions. He needed a bit of time and hired a private coach in the summer, and now he's someone who has the entire game under control," he said. "He's in high demand at 19 and has the confidence to do anything, and that shows when you're confident and have the coach's trust. What he played yesterday in the first half was absolutely world class."

It would have been so easy for Uzun to get swept up in his outstanding showing, but he chose to remain grounded in his post-match interview before laying down the challenge to runaway league leaders Bayern: "Of course, it wasn't obvious that things would turn out this way and I'd score so many times in succession. It was a nice goal by me after a great assist from Fares [Chaibi]. The first half was a lot of fun. We hardly gave them anything before the break, I'm happy about the win. I have full confidence in our defense. We scored six goals, which is amazing...hopefully I'll also score against Bayern."

Arsenal fans were not given great news going into the new Women's Super League season, with Leah Williamson ruled out of the first few weeks due to injury. But every cloud has a silver lining and for the Gunners, it has been 18-year-old Katie Reid. Last summer, Williamson told an Oxford Union audience that the teenager, who joined the club's academy five years ago, would eventually come through and "take my shirt", dubbing her "exceptional". Now, everyone is learning why the Lionesses' captain was giving her team-mate such high praise.

Reid has started all of Arsenal's first four league games in the England star's absence and she has been superb. Her solidity in individual battles has been particularly eye-catching, especially for a young player experiencing the WSL on a regular basis for the first time. Indeed, no one in the Gunners' squad has come out on top in more duels, while only Katie McCabe surpasses her for tackles won.

Similarly impressive, though, has been her ability in possession, something so important for an Arsenal defender. Reid's pass completion percentage is the fourth-best in the squad, with only Steph Catley, her centre-back partner, and Mariona Caldentey, who just finished runner-up in the Ballon d'Or, completing more accurate passes. "She's very composed under pressure, she's fast, she has physicality," head coach Renee Slegers said of Reid earlier this month. "There's a lot of things that we like in centre backs that she brings."

England and Sarina Wiegman are likely to have taken note, too. After all, Williamson still isn't back from her injury and Reid's form means Lotte Wubben-Moy, another of the Lionesses' centre-back options, has barely played. There is also uncertainty around Millie Bright's availability moving forwards, given she withdrew from selection for Euro 2025. If Wiegman needs another centre-back for next month's games against Brazil and Australia, she may well be looking in Reid's direction. The 18-year-old certainly deserves to be discussed as an option, anyway.