SW Essen Panoramica

Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal fell just short of making history as the youngest-ever Ballon d'Or winner, finishing third in the 2026 rankings behind Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe. Despite claiming a record third Kopa Trophy, the teenage star saw his main prize hopes dampened by a curious case of tactical voting.

Harry Kane has officially been crowned the world's best player, but the Bayern Munich striker only secured the Ballon d'Or by the narrowest of margins. New revelations from French Football chief Vincent Garcia suggest that the England captain was actually trailing his rivals for a significant portion of the polling period.

Barcelona’s miserable week has gone from bad to worse as the club now faces potential disciplinary action following ugly scenes during Sunday's El Clasico. The Spanish league is set to take action after a spectator appeared to target Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga during the visitors' celebrations at Camp Nou.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has sparked a major diplomatic incident after a video of him joking about a Chinese historical figure went viral. The controversy has already cost the France international two lucrative sponsorship deals, with the Chinese government now issuing an official response to the backlash.