On 26 October, the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner will be named. At the moment, there are some obvious favourites, including World Cup winners Lamine Yamal and Rodri. However, the Spanish press have claimed that one ‘underrated’ star should be in with a shout.

Last year, Ousmane Dembele claimed the award after he fired Paris Saint-Germain to Champions League glory. Having won that competition again, the Frenchman could yet retain his prize. PSG teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is another contender, while the likes of Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe all enhanced their hopes with impressive displays in North America this summer.

Truthfully, there is no certain winner at this stage. Indeed, despite winning the 2026 World Cup, Yamal wasn’t quite at his best this summer – and while Rodri was the tournament’s best player, the 2024 winner wasn’t really in the race beforehand after an injury-hit season at Manchester City.

Amid the uncertainty, momentum is growing in Spain for a surprise candidate.

Spanish Midfielder Tipped for Ballon d’Or

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Several Spanish journalists, as noted by Goal, now believe that PSG and La Furia Roja midfielder Fabian Ruiz should be viewed as a serious contender. Most notably, Alvaro Martin of Marca argued:

It’s certainly true that Ruiz was key for Spain this summer. After all, he was the man trusted to come into the team for Pedri, giving better balance to the team. The 30-year-old played in all eight World Cup matches and started alongside Rodri in the final against Argentina

With that in mind, plus his Champions League-winning campaign with PSG, it’s not hard to see why some think he should be a consideration in the 2026 Ballon d’Or vote. Adding to the claims, Marca’s report noted:

Luis Enrique and Vitinha Discuss Fabian Ruiz’s Ballon d’Or hopes

Lending support to the notion, PSG teammate Vitinha – who came third in the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote – claimed that Ruiz was among his three personal favourites, explaining: “Fabian Ruiz won everything.”

On top of this, club manager Luis Enrique could not help but weigh in on the speculation. Although he appeared to be joking, he told French media outlet RMC:

It’s certainly true that Ruiz has enjoyed a rather spectacular career over the past few seasons. Since 2022/23, he has won four Ligue 1 titles in a row, the Coupe de France twice, the Champions League twice, as well as Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup. Other lesser trophies include the 2023 Nations League, two UEFA Super Cups, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and three Trophée des Champions.

It feels unlikely that Ruiz will win the prize, but after winning the Champions League with Chelsea and the Euros with Italy, understated midfielder Jorginho finished third in the 2021 Ballon d’Or race. Perhaps something similar could happen for the Spaniard in 2026.

Liverpool cannot afford to let their already thin squad get even thinner by selling Cody Gakpo to Tottenham Hotspur this summer, or they face a disastrous season under the new boss.

The Reds’ attacking department has been decimated over the last 12 months, with the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah all departing, leaving new manager Andoni Iraola seriously light on forward options heading into the new season. Victor Munoz has arrived from Osasuna to provide the Basque head coach with some additional depth, but the youngster isn’t ready to carry the burden of playing significant minutes for a team with Premier League title aspirations.

Bradley Barcola continues to be linked with a switch to Anfield, but Paris Saint-Germain’s excessive £140 million price tag is delaying negotiations on this front.

It’s entirely possible that the Merseysiders don’t recruit the volume of attackers they need, and thus, they could easily end up regretting their decision to sell Gakpo.

Cody Gakpo Sale Would be Smart Move For Liverpool in Isolation

Spurs are reportedly closing in on the signing of Gakpo, and while a fee is yet to be agreed, Liverpool are expected to cite Anthony Gordon’s £70 million move to Barcelona as a benchmark in their negotiations with the North London club, as per Ben Jacobs.

In isolation, this would be an exceptional sale for the Reds. Gakpo produced an underwhelming 2025/26 season, scoring just seven goals and providing just five assists in 36 Premier League appearances.

While the Dutchman is a valuable player who provides some useful attacking attributes, he is limited in certain respects and far from indispensable.

At 27, £70 million would be an outstanding return for Liverpool, for a player they paid £45 million for, if they can pull it off.

Selling Gakpo Would Still Be a Mistake For Liverpool

While this prospective Gakpo sale would be an astute piece of business in isolation, in the context of Liverpool’s squad, it could potentially be disastrous.

Centrally, the Reds are relying on Alexander Isak, a notoriously injury-prone player, to remain fit for almost the entire season whilst Hugo Ektike recovers from an ACL injury. Behind the Swede, Gakpo is the only senior player capable of doing a job as a striker, before Iraola is forced to turn towards a false-nine option.

Off the left — Gakpo’s primary position — there are a few more candidates to take the Netherlands international’s minutes, although they’re inexperienced at the top level. Munoz looks promising, but it’d be a huge gamble to rely on a mixture of him and 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha as the exclusive left-wing options for the entirety of next season.

While not often deployed on the right, Gakpo could’ve filled in on this side if needed. If Liverpool sanction his departure, they’d be left with the following fit senior attackers:

• Alexander Isak
• Federico Chiesa
• Victor Munoz
• Rio Ngumoha (if he registers as ‘senior’)

The likes of Florian Wirtz, Harvey Elliott and Jeremie Frimpong can be drafted in as forwards, while new signings can still be made, but time is running out for Iraola to construct an attacking unit deep enough to compete on multiple fronts. Selling Gakpo might only make things worse, even if rejecting such a significant offer from Spurs might not be popular.

All Statistics via FotMob – correct as of 15/08/2026

The ownership at Liverpool has had a big shake-up this summer, with Fenway Sports Group (FSG) announcing the sale of a minority equity stake in the Anfield club. In short, this now means that Jeff Bezos has become a co-owner of the Premier League side.

The Amazon founder is part of an investment group, 1982 Holdings, who have purchased around a 33% stake in the Merseyside outfit for around £1.35 billion. Amit Bhatia leads the consortium, with Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin also attached to the project.

Bezos is understood to be the third-richest man on the planet, with a net worth estimated at £207.505bn. This level of wealth comes with ethical questions, especially for a club like Liverpool, which has long represented itself as having a socialist ethos and working-class solidarity once championed by legendary manager Bill Shankly​​​​​​.

Zarah Sultana Questions Israeli Links to Amazon Amid Liverpool Investment

REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge

British MP Zarah Sultana, who is a member of the socialist political party Your Party, has taken to social media to slam Bezos’s investment in Liverpool. In a lengthy statement, which has gone viral on X, she wrote:

She then went on to explain how Amazon has ties to an AI service which helps aid Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Questioning how this reflects on a club which is supposed to have such strong social values, Sultana wrote:

“Amazon is a central partner in Project Nimbus, providing cloud and AI services to the Israeli state. While Israel carries out a genocide against the Palestinian people, Amazon’s technology helps underpin the infrastructure that makes it possible. And now that fortune is buying its way into Anfield.

She concluded: “Liverpool is more than a business, it’s a community. Supporters have a voice. We’ve used it before: against the Super League, against ticket price hikes and against owners who forgot what this club stands for. We MUST use it again.”

Clause Means 1982 Holdings Could Complete Full Liverpool Takeover in Near Future

For those Liverpool fans who agree with Sultana’s point of view, it will be concerning to learn about a key clause within the deal. As per The Athletic, there is a mechanism which could allow Bezos and co to complete a full takeover of the Premier League club in the next 12 months.

It’s worth noting that it is just an option, and not an obligation, and there is no guarantee that the clause will be triggered in the next year. But many will find the plausible possibility of a total takeover very worrying.

Liverpool supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly have asked for more clarity on the changes in ownership. A statement explained concerns: “As Liverpool supporters, we need zero reminder of the importance of good governance and club ownership. We trust that the current owners FSG realise this, and have carried out their own due diligence because we as supporters will most certainly do our own.

“It’s important we take time to understand fully the long-term implications this deal will have for our club’s ownership and at the same time what it doesn’t mean – wild speculation about transfers and spending helps no one. It is vital for the game in general that football clubs are run sustainably, as LFC has been, and not an arms race funded by mega-rich individuals or state-backed entities.”

The group have also reached out to the Independent Football Regulator for advice.