England were defeated by Spain, playing out a 3-2 loss on Saturday night at Wembley Stadium in a UEFA Nations League fixture.
The game didn’t start well for England, with Lamine Yamal opening the scoring inside two minutes after dispossessing Guehi and slotting the ball over James Trafford in goal.
However, just over 30 minutes later, Barcelona’s Anthony Gordon levelled for England. A strong counter-attack from the Three Lions allowed Jude Bellingham to play through Gordon, who slotted around the diving Unai Simon, who had been caught off his line.
Thomas Tuchel’s side took the lead just a few minutes later, after Nico O’Reilly lifted a ball into the box which found the head of Harry Kane, whose attempt deflected off Marc Cucurella before hitting the back of the net.
Kane had a chance in the second half to make it 3-1 for England, but his penalty hit the crossbar after the captain slipped in his run-up. Alex Baena then levelled for Spain six minutes later, before Mikel Oyarzabal chipped over Trafford in the last 10 minutes to give Spain all three points in their first international fixture since winning the World Cup.
Following Kane’s performances, some comments from a Spanish star have resurfaced.
In an old interview with former footballer Jorge Valdano via Movistar Plus (per GOAL), Yamal was asked who he thinks should win the Ballon d’Or, and he gave an interesting response, although he didn’t go as far as naming a player.
He said: “I think the Ballon d’Or should go to the best player in the world, full stop. Not to a player who has scored 80 goals, because if you score 80 goals, you get the top scorer award for that. Those are two completely different things that people don’t understand.
“The best player in the world is the one where, as a commentator, you are following a match and enjoying it, you see him and think: that is a player who clearly stands out from all the others.”
In Yamal’s view, the award goes to the most impactful players on the pitch, regardless of how many goals they score or titles they have won.
He even went one step further, saying: “Mbappe and I, we are the two best in the world, but I think I would have deserved it this year. For me, that is clear, and everyone who watches the match knows it.” Very bold words from the teenager.
Ballon d’Or Contenders
The Ballon d’Or ceremony is due to take place on 26 October, in the London Palladium theatre, starting at 8pm local time. It is typically hosted in France, but as a tribute to Stanley Matthews for the 70th edition of the award, it is being hosted in England as a one-off.
Many players are in the mix to pick up the award, with Yamal, Mbappé and Harry Kane enjoying successful seasons in their respective leagues.
Kane scored 73 goals in one season, picking up the European Golden Boot award, although his performance in England’s game against Spain has only reinforced Yamal’s quotes in some people’s eyes.
With Yamal saying the award shouldn’t just go to the top scorers, it somewhat takes a dig at Kane, whose whole game is built around scoring goals. He scored in England’s tie against Spain, but didn’t notably do anything else, which to some only proves Yamal’s point.
With the Ballon d’Or ceremony just a month away, they won’t have to wait long to see who comes out on top.
