With the Ballon d’Or ceremony a little over a month away, the conversation has already spread from Paris to Madrid, London and beyond, with Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal among the names being weighed in the debate.
In Spain, however, the approaching vote has prompted frustration as much as anticipation. Manu Carreño argued that the country has too readily accepted the likelihood of another foreign winner, despite believing no candidate has produced an untouchable season worthy of taking the prize without argument.
Speaking on a radio panel, Carreño said it irritated him that Spanish football was not pushing back more strongly. In his view, the discussion has settled too easily around Mbappé or Kane because both have had strong campaigns, rather than asking whether a Spanish player should be more seriously considered.
He also returned to Spain’s experience after its 2010 World Cup triumph, when no Spanish player received the Ballon d’Or. Carreño contrasted that memory with the esteem usually attached to winning the World Cup, questioning why such success has not translated into the individual award for a Spanish footballer.
