Sport
Mesut Özil Says Vinícius Júnior Is the Best Player in the World
Former Real Madrid star Mesut Özil has boldly declared Vinícius Júnior as the best player in the world right now.
His statement comes just days after legendary Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger placed the Brazilian third on his list of top players. Özil, who played under Wenger at Arsenal before his move to Madrid in 2010, shared his opinion when asked who he believes is currently the best.
Vinícius had high hopes of winning the Ballon d’Or last year, but late reports suggested Manchester City’s Rodri was favored instead. He eventually finished 2024 as the second-best player in the world, according to France Football.
This season, the Brazilian winger has been in incredible form, with many predicting he could finally secure football’s most prestigious individual award.
“The best player at this moment? Vinícius Júnior,” Özil said in a comment shared by Madrid Xtra and reported by Sportskeeda.
Former footballer Thierry Henry has shared his thoughts on Arsenal’s match following their loss to Atlético Madrid on October 13.
Speaking during a brief interview on CBS Sports, Henry criticised the practice of players or coaches expressing certain opinions through the media instead of addressing issues directly within the dressing room.
“I’m not a coach anymore, but I always say, whoever speaks like that, out. Keep that in the dressing room, it’s as simple as that,” Henry said on CBS Sports.
“That is the only way it can work. You have to say those things to a person’s face… going through the press, I am not really a fan of that.”
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has shared his thoughts on the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, revealing that he hopes the winner will come from his team.
The manager spoke about how hard his players have worked and expressed his belief that they deserve the recognition.
“What I hope is that we win this trophy. We have players who deserve it.”
“Last year, we were the best team. We showed that it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembélé who deserved it.”
French football pundit Walid Acherchour has named Lamine Yamal as his pick to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, sparking reactions among football fans.
Acherchour’s choice came as a surprise to some fans, who expected him to support fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappé instead.
Speaking about his prediction, Acherchour expressed confidence in Yamal’s chances of winning the prestigious individual award.
“For me, Lamine Yamal, he is going to get it [2026 Ballon d’Or]. For me, there’s no doubt anymore,” Acherchour said, as quoted by Actu Foot. That start to the season shows that in fact, he was injured during the World Cup. He was the best player in La Liga, and he won the World Cup.
“Even if, for me, in fact, he doesn’t have the Ballon d’Or unanimously because his World Cup was average, even being average, he won it with Spain. He won La Liga with Barça.”
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