Former Germany striker Sandro Wagner gets his first Bundesliga coaching job at Augsburg
Wagner has been working as assistant to Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann and will take charge of an Augsburg team which finished 12th in the 18-team Bundesliga this season.
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New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Donald Trump, the Club World Cup final, and how security protect VIPs at major sporting events
MetLife Stadium will host not only some of the world's best football players in the Club World Cup final this weekend, but also arguably the planet's most famous and polarising person. Fresh off the announcement that FIFA, world football's governing body and the organiser of this tournament, has opened an office a few miles from the New Jersey venue inside New York City's Trump Tower, Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, has taken another step in strengthening his association with FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino by confirming his attendance at Sunday's final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. Advertisement A year out from the best men's national teams coming to the U.S., Canada and Mexico for the World Cup, Trump and his office are eager to be front and centre in a country long seen as the world's favourite sport's final frontier. The president to set to be involved with the trophy presentation on Sunday, according to people familiar with the planning who were not authorised to speak publicly. U.S. vice-president JD Vance was at Cincinnati's TQL Stadium to watch Borussia Dortmund of Germany beat South Korean side Ulsan 1-0 in the Club World Cup last month. In Vance's home state of Ohio, U.S. Secret Service members bolstered a tiny crowd of 8,239, surveying the 26,000-seat venue and surrounding areas for any threat to a man who ranks first in the country's presidential line of succession. 'We were checked by strict security,' said Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac in the post-match press conference. 'When we left the hotel, we were given a sniff test by a dog. When we got into the stadium, someone came onto the bus with another dog. That's completely normal. It's a World Cup. They are high-level people, so I think it's normal, but it was relatively tight.' On Sunday, security measures will be further enhanced, as security teams, stadium staff, event organisers, and the Secret Service are tasked with keeping Trump protected at the 82,500-capacity stadium in the state of New Jersey, situated approximately five miles west of Manhattan. At an open-air rally in Pennsylvania on the very same date last year, Trump was shot at and wounded in his right ear, while security personnel also have to be mindful of anything that would 'embarrass the principal'. 'I'm not going to say it's going to be the worst thing that the protection detail has worked on, but they don't like it,' says Michael Evanoff, global chief security officer of the U.S. security technology company Verkada and former assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security. 'You're going into a venue, but who knows? People can throw something… The pie in the face, right? That or throwing fake blood or anything that would embarrass the principal.' Advertisement 'With a sitting president of the United States, everything is different,' adds an industry source with experience hosting political figures, royalty and major celebrities for a world-leading stadium owner and event company, kept anonymous to protect relationships. 'No one else will come with such a huge Secret Service and national military presence.' When providing personal security to a prominent public figure at a major event such as a Club World Cup final, preparation begins well in advance of matchday. 'We appoint a security advance party, which will proceed before the event and conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the venue, liaising with venue staff and security to assess the existing security measures,' says Jordan McGrath, co-founder of VIS Protection, a private security firm with experience of working with top-end Forbes World Billionaires List members. 'You'll speak to venue staff about your plan and how they can help you and your team with entry and exits. With big crowds around, you must have contingency plans for vehicles ready outside and emergency vehicle access. It's a big operation, particularly for big sporting events.' Ideally, private security firms, or the Secret Service in Trump's case, would be notified months in advance of the proposed public appearance, so their preparations for the event can be as thorough as possible. 'Mass gatherings present a complex and dynamic threat environment,' says Steven Rice, who worked for 27 years at the U.S. Department of State. He was deputy assistant director for intelligence and threat analysis, and also had extensive postings in China and the Middle East. 'Planning and site familiarity are key to controlling the environment — designating primary and alternate arrival/departure locations, potential attack sites, safe rooms, and evacuation plans. Advertisement 'Robust communications, counter-surveillance, and perimeter and access control are a must — large crowds mean reduced manoeuvrability, limited escape routes and elevated risk of concealment for potential attackers. Coordinated emergency response plans need to be integrated across agencies and validated before gameday.' However, given the often impulsive nature of such ultra-high-net-worth individuals, these decisions can be made on a whim, prompting a rapid response from security agencies. 'You have to be prepared for every eventuality. I'm currently working with a client who is one of the world's wealthiest individuals,' says McGrath. 'They can be on the runway in one of their planes, and suddenly everything changes. In an instant, you're told you're going somewhere else and not getting on that plane. You have to be ready to adapt.' In Trump's case, the Secret Service would then be in communication with emergency services, stadium personnel and private security agencies at the event to conduct the most comprehensive checks possible given the time constraints. As MetLife Stadium is one of the nation's flagship sporting arenas (it hosted an NFL Super Bowl in 2014 and will stage the World Cup final next July), it will already have detailed practices in place that consider transportation, the stadium's layout, and Trump's position when he watches the match. 'Having had experience of working with the Secret Service, they like to have control themselves,' says Nigel Thomas, a former British Special Air Service (SAS) soldier and founder of Blue Mountain Group, a security training and advisory firm. 'They like to keep information very tight. They carry out their own risk assessment. 'They have a huge team in cyber-security and physical security. They will search the stadium with sniffer dogs for anything from drugs to explosives. They would want searches done on the security teams and a background check, so they don't leave any stone unturned.' Advertisement Once the Secret Service has established the route and motorcade for Trump's journey to the stadium, the next requirement is to find a suitable place for him to sit, which is not always straightforward. Some private-security agencies would endeavour to secure the suites on either side of the one that their VIP will be using to act as buffers, but this is a FIFA event, so the governing body has more control. It is anticipated that Trump will sit with Infantino, senior officials from PSG and Chelsea, and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, whom the president met in Doha in May. FIFA typically reserves a significant portion of premium suites and VIP lounges for its partners and sponsors, which means that some areas of the stadium may be set aside and not offered to regular-season suite holders. This is typical practice for major sporting events, such as the World Cup, the Olympics or leagues' all-star games, where the competition falls outside a stadium or arena's typical event offerings. Once Trump and his immediate entourage arrive on Sunday, staff at MetLife may halt traffic around the entrance being used to ensure his motorcade can enter safely. They will then go into the stadium itself with their armed private security. Most stadiums and arenas in the United States use metal detectors, but given the heightened security risk on this occasion with a president in attendance, the Secret Service may arrive before the event and replace the existing apparatus with their own around the stadium, according to our industry source. 'For the president, there will probably be a bullet-resistant-glass setup,' says Evanoff. 'Even though there's not supposed to be any weapons there, they're not taking any chances by not doing that. You've seen him in front of bullet-resistant glass before. It's just tough because, at the same time, protecting an individual is a science. 'The Secret Service and my old organisation at diplomatic security have refined this to a real science. And with the loss of the Hortmans, with the attack on Governor Shapiro, this concept of executive protection is at the top of everybody's mind right now. Bringing a protectee into a venue, hopefully a screened venue, to sit them in an environment where you really don't know who's in the crowd — other than everybody's been screened — is serious.' The operation will be made even more difficult as Trump has given advance notice he will be there. Advertisement 'Public knowledge increases risk,' says Rice. 'Announced appearances give adversaries time to plan, conduct surveillance, and exploit vulnerabilities. Public figures attract crowds, complicating protective movement and increasing the chance of disruptions. Announced visits narrow planning options and heighten the threat environment. Layered defences, robust intelligence monitoring, and visible deterrence are critical.' Then, once the VIP is in their seat, the task switches to providing the most seamless experience possible, even if the security staff are on high alert. 'While they're in, you're still thinking, 'If this vehicle breaks down, what's my backup? If that road is closed, what's my alternative?',' says Thomas. 'You're ensuring the drivers are prepared, fed, and watered. That's going on without the VIP knowing.' Most of the time, the VIP experiences the event without any major hiccups and, as far as they are aware, everything goes smoothly. But what happens if something does go wrong? 'These security teams provide people from backgrounds where they have experienced so many challenges, whether from working as police or military officers,' Thomas says. 'When you do the threat and risk assessment, you cover anything that could go wrong: if they were at a mass gathering, what if the stage collapsed? We will have a standard operating procedure for that, for example. You need to be prepared for it, and that takes communication with stadium security and emergency services. 'If there were to be a catastrophic event involving the whole stadium, everyone would need to know our procedures for keeping the VIP safe while a mass of people are trying to escape. It's a huge operation, and things do go wrong, so it takes experience.' (Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
New York Times
42 minutes ago
- New York Times
Georgia Stanway's long road to recovery: ‘Low' moments, mentor chats and tattooing
A small ink etching on Georgia Stanway's leg would catch the eye of her Bayern Munich rehabilitation coach, Moritz Lemmle. Some days it was like playing spot the difference as the midfielder had added yet another tattoo to her body. That was because during her recovery from a knee injury in the first half of this year, Stanway tattooed herself. At times, the pain was unbearable. Advertisement 'She told me she was so close to finishing one and she didn't want to make a mistake but it was so painful,' Lemmle tells The Athletic. 'When you start, you have to finish, right?' Tattooing became her 'zen', a distraction from the monotony of rehabilitation. Her apartment is filled with equipment, including fake skin to practise on. With the brace on her injured right leg, her left leg became her canvas. She has lost count of the number of new etchings scattered over her limb. 'It was the only place I could reach!' she said. 'As soon as I pressed that button, my headspace was fully clear. All I had to do was perfect what was exactly in front of me.' A post shared by Georgia Stanway (@stanwaygeorgia) At the end of January, Stanway felt a sharp pain in her knee during training. She tried to carry on but could not. An MRI scan revealed she had ruptured her lateral collateral ligament in her right knee. The 26-year-old had surgery in Innsbruck, Austria, performed by renowned knee specialist Professor Dr Christian Fink. Bayern's physical therapist, rehab coach and doctors discussed the recovery timeline, and she was expected to be out for around four months. 'The good thing was that it was not as long as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but it's a severe injury,' Lemmle tells The Athletic. It meant her domestic season was over. It was too early to talk about Euros availability, but if she was going to be fit for selection, she knew she would barely have played a competitive match in 2025. Stanway wore a protective brace to stabilise the knee for six weeks, four of which were spent hopping around on crutches. In those first few weeks after surgery, she struggled. 'There were a few points where Georgia was quite low,' Luke Chadwick, a former Manchester United player and Stanway's mentor, tells The Athletic. 'It just seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel was so far away.' In her 10 years of senior football, Stanway has never had a serious injury. 'When the first injury comes, you are not sure how to deal with it,' adds Chadwick, who chats to the player on a weekly basis throughout the year and before and after games during this European Championship, just as he did at the 2023 World Cup. Advertisement 'She was really upset,' he says. 'She was just doing the same thing every day. She found that quite frustrating.' 'You can't load the leg with full body weight,' explains Lemmle. 'You can train the rest of the body quite normally, but with the injured leg, you have to be a little more patient in this first phase.' With both legs, they did some low-load isometric exercises, blood flow restriction training, activated the muscles with electrical stimulus and very light strength training. There were, in Stanway's words, 'terrible days' and times when she went home and felt a little bit 'low' or more 'emotional'. The road to recovery can be a lonely place, given you are not with the team on the pitch. 'I think she found that really hard,' says Chadwick. 'She's such an outgoing, bubbly personality and she was missing out on what she loves doing. That really affected her. She loves helping the team, but when you're not playing, you don't feel part of it.' But there was a turning point, Lemmle recalls, when Stanway accepted she could not play football. 'Then it got better mentally because she knew the focus was on returning as quickly and as fit as possible,' he says. 'It was very important that she had time for herself to process everything. She found her own way out mentally from this situation.' Chadwick's role as a mentor changed slightly while Stanway was injured, with more of a focus on her feelings rather than performance. 'It's always a good thing just to be able to open up and be vulnerable with someone away from the football club, the national team, where she can talk about whatever she wants to,' he says. Stanway knuckled down, attacked the rehab programme and wanted to be the best team-mate possible. From then on, everything was focused on making the Euros. Around six weeks after surgery, Stanway had her brace removed, a key milestone. She could drive again, saw the swelling had gone down and was able to go out with friends, a return to some sense of normality. Advertisement Despite the initial struggles, Stanway says she found 'a lot of joy' with her routines. It became a day-by-day process rather than looking too far ahead. She would go to Bayern's campus, do her rehab programme, come home and put the recovery boots on. 'Then it would be my tattoo time,' she said. 'I felt productive because I had my schedule.' After six weeks, Lemmle's priority was to build strength. Her programme consisted of single-leg stability exercises, jumps and landings, as well as reactive drills to prepare her for the next big step — running. Stanway had to hit certain levels to prove her knee could cope with the force and load running brings. Lemmle tested Stanway's isokinetic and isometric strength values for her quads, hamstrings, hip abduction and adduction, as well as performing jumping tests. She celebrated the small wins, such as the percentage increase in her output. 'A lot of players have trouble increasing the strength values constantly from week to week to meet the criteria,' says Lemmle. 'These were the biggest moments for her and also for us as the medical team. 'When she is happy, you see it. When she is not, you also see it. Rehab is a hard time and there are days when you are not in a really good mood, but she pushed through these days.' Stanway ticked all of Lemmle's boxes quickly and returned to running on schedule. She started on an anti-gravity treadmill, running at 50 per cent of her body weight. Lemmle remembers her first day back running in late March. It fell on a matchday at home. 'We met for a rehab session before and we did the first laps around the track,' he says. 'She was really happy, the knee felt good.' A post shared by FC Bayern Frauen (@fcbfrauen) Stanway ran for a couple of weeks on the track before 'the coolest moment', in Lemmle's words, returning to the pitch in late April. 'It was a long slog, but being back on the grass made such a massive difference,' says Chadwick. Stanway and Lemmle worked hard on their own for approximately four weeks, doing running and passing drills on the pitch. Advertisement The next step was to gradually integrate Stanway with parts of team training, a small mental push to show how close she was. She would do the warm-up before returning to intense individual sessions with Lemmle. Ever the tenacious player, Stanway found that challenging as she wanted to complete the whole team session. Over 14 weeks, Stanway, who kept key dates on her phone, had between 70 to 80 'very, very, tough' rehab sessions. 'It's probably one of the hardest I've ever worked. It was an absolute battle,' she said. Bayern compared her running data pre- and post-injury to be sure she was ready to return. For Lemmle, it was important to check that she could manage not only the increasing intensity of high-speed running distances and acceleration and decelerations, but also the volume. 'You risk re-injury when you are not prepared for the volume,' says Lemmle. It was not over yet. Stanway started with a six-vs-six in training but wore a red shirt so her team-mates knew not to physically challenge her. There are a huge number of signals from every direction that a player has to process first, even without the risk of being tackled. Then, slowly, more contact was introduced. 'The team training is a step, but contact team training is a big step, especially with ligament injuries,' says Lemmle. Even though Stanway's recovery had gone very well, the rationale was not to rush her back. She watched from the sidelines — and sang with Harry Kane — as Bayern won their third consecutive Bundesliga title and the World Sevens tournament. Bayern had consistent communication with England throughout, updating them on Stanway's progress and, in April, Stanway had a visit from Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman, team doctor Ritan Mehta, physio Fran Clarkson and performance coach Ruth Waghorn. She had no fears going into the Euros and felt more prepared than if she'd had a jam-packed season. She said she feels fitter, faster and stronger than ever before and sees her injury as a positive. Advertisement 'I have test results now that I have not seen in two years,' she said. Lemmle agrees. 'After the rehab, she was the best she has ever been,' he says. The enforced break from playing allowed her to work on weaknesses in the gym and she entered a different mindset. 'Going in every day for rehab is completely different to turning up every day for training,' she said. She celebrated the small wins in the gym, so much so that when she made her return on May 30 at Wembley — playing 15 minutes against Portugal, nearly four months to the day after her surgery — it felt 'weird' and 'underwhelming'. 'It's supposed to be the big comeback you're looking forward to, but it's just the inevitable next step — you play.' She never doubted her return, only at what level she would come back. 'I've done everything to put myself in that position,' she said in June. 'If I'm ready, fantastic. If I'm not, there's nothing else I can blame.' Despite only recently coming back from injury, Wiegman trusted her, starting the midfielder in England's 2-1 Nations League defeat by Spain. It was her first 45 minutes in six months, but she was still disappointed to come off. 'She understood why, but she wants to play every minute of every game,' says Chadwick. 'That sums up Georgia.' Stanway had played 150 minutes in six months before starting against France in England's Euro 2025 opener. Despite feeling good physically, her touches were heavy and her passes loose. 'For some reason, I couldn't do the things I wanted to do, especially in possession,' she said. 'I did what I could to control what I could: my work rate, communication.' Stanway was not the only one to have a poor performance. The day after the France loss, the England players and staff had frank and open conversations. Stanway checked in with Chadwick, too. 'We spoke pretty openly about the meetings that happened within the staffing group and how positive that was,' he says. 'She had a really good conversation with some of the England staff about how she felt after the game and felt it was really galvanising. She seemed in a really good place before the Netherlands game.' Advertisement Stanway had a point to prove and did so in first-half stoppage time against the Netherlands in England's second game, scoring with a long-range drive. Her cathartic reaction said it all. She leapt, punched the air and let out a guttural roar. There was no hangover from the bad night out against France. 'The performance against the Netherlands under massive pressure just shows what Georgia is all about,' says Chadwick. 'In hindsight, her injury could be a positive, time away from the game to come back and play with even more hunger and desire.' (Top photos: Bayern Munich)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Ranking the Ballon d'Or 2025 favourites: Has the Club World Cup changed things?
While the fixture schedules differ across the six FIFA confederations, Sunday's Club World Cup final provides a perfect punctuation point to 2025. Either Chelsea or Paris-Saint Germain will get their hands on the trophy, but there is still a lingering question remaining. Has this summer's tournament strengthened any player's grip on the Ballon d'Or? Advertisement On the one hand, our opinions on a player should change little after a four-week tournament played on pitches of questionable quality in scorching conditions. On the other, PSG have used the tournament to rubber-stamp themselves as the world's best team, showcasing a glut of players who stand head and shoulders above anyone else to kick a football in the past 12 months. Here, The Athletic has updated its piece from late May with the top 10 contenders to win the award, breathing new life into a debate that will rumble on until the winner is announced in Paris in September. Let's be kind to each other in the comments, eh… 'As far as the Ballon d'Or is concerned, several players could win it, and some conditions are inevitable,' Luis Enrique told reporters after his PSG side's semi-final victory against Real Madrid on Wednesday. 'They have to score and assist, but they also have to bring silverware to their teams, and if there is one player who has done that this season, it is Ousmane Dembele, and he is far above any player. This is my opinion, and I will repeat it.' Who are we to argue? Sure, Dembele (top image) has only started one game in the United States this summer after recovering from a quadriceps injury, but the 28-year-old was integral as PSG swatted Real Madrid aside in their semi-final. Goal contributions? Dizzying levels in 2024-25 with 38 goals and 14 assists in all competitions, the leading combined tally for his side. Silverware? Just the quadruple and a potential fifth trophy. A simply outstanding campaign for a player who some observers had previously labelled as an unfulfilled talent. What an incredible year it has been for Vitinha. Beyond the trophies at club level, the 25-year-old won the Nations League with Portugal in June, starring in the centre of midfield against Spain in the final. Winning is now a habit for Vitinha, and it is precisely because he is in the team that his sides have so much success. He is a metronome, a tempo-setter, a dictator of play — no player in this season's Champions League or Club World Cup has made more passes than the midfielder. Dropping into space to receive the ball, pulling wide into full-back areas, catalysing his side's attack when it needs an injection of energy — Vitinha does it all, and it is little surprise that he has clocked up the third-most minutes under Luis Enrique in all competitions this season. He might not be the player who gets the adulation at the top end of the field, but watching Vitinha will give you a newfound appreciation for what a midfield technician really is. After allowing the dust to settle from Liverpool's title-winning campaign, Salah's attacking output somehow looks even more impressive. With 29 league goals and 18 assists, Salah picked up the Premier League's Golden Boot and Playmaker awards, with a combined 47 goal contributions equalling Alan Shearer's (1994-95) and Andrew Cole's (1993-94) Premier League record, both of whom achieved the same numbers in a 42-game season. That tally of 47 was comfortably higher than any other player across Europe's big five leagues last season. If it is raw individual numbers you are searching for, then look no further than Liverpool's talisman. A new contract will keep Salah at Liverpool for at least two more seasons, and it is clear that the team is set up to get the best out of him, with a small compromise in his defensive work allowing him to deliver such eye-watering attacking output. While Liverpool's last-16 exit in the Champions League might influence the perspective on Salah's season in the wider view, do not underestimate just how impressive his campaign was from an individual standpoint. Similar to Dembele, it was always known that Raphinha had undeniable talent, but few people expected him to post such impressive attacking numbers, seemingly out of nowhere. In all competitions, the Brazil international registered 34 goals and 22 assists for Barcelona as they won La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana. With some of his electric performances in the Champions League, many thought that Raphinha was destined to lead Hansi Flick's side to the complete set — but a stubborn Inter dumped Barcelona out in dramatic circumstances in the semi-finals. For much of the campaign, Barcelona were operating in parallel with PSG as a side who were on track to win every trophy available to them in 2024-25. As unfortunate as it might sound, players who win the Champions League often edge ahead of others in the race for the Ballon d'Or. Take nothing away from Raphinha's season individually, but not lifting the biggest prize in European club football might work against him. The fact that a 17-year-old (he turns 18 on Sunday) is in the conversation to be named the world's best player tells you how talented this youngster is. The sensational quality that Yamal has in his left foot is prodigious. Only Bayern Munich's Michael Olise and Liverpool's Salah posted more assists than Yamal's 13 across Europe's big five leagues. Advertisement Given Spain's European Championship victory last summer, there were already no doubts that Yamal could cut it on the biggest stage. However, his performances in the Champions League took things to a new level, becoming the youngest scorer in the semi-finals of the competition after tormenting Inter in both legs. He might have ended up on the losing side, but his beautiful curled effort in the first leg will live long in the memory — and was named the Goal of the Tournament by UEFA. Lamine Yamal's solo effort against Inter is the Fans' Goal of 2024/25 😮💨@Heineken | #UCLGOTT — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 6, 2025 If not this year, Yamal will win the Ballon d'Or. It is only a matter of time. To some, this pick might fall in the 'Rodri category', but people should not sleep on just how good Fabian Ruiz has been in the past 12 months. After Spain's Euro 2024 victory, a further four trophies have followed in a PSG shirt, and the 29-year-old has been at the heart of all of it. Such is his importance to Luis Enrique's side that only Bradley Barcola has made more than Fabian's 60 appearances across all competitions this season. His movement is so intelligent, moving into pockets of space that no opposition player wants to venture into, before crashing into the box to get on the end of a cross, as he did so well against Real Madrid this week. It feels harsh to omit Joao Neves from the top 10 when his two midfield team-mates make the list here, but at 20, his influence will grow. His time will surely come. For now, there is a feeling that Fabian is not getting the credit he deserves for the role he has played in a winning machine. We are here to give that to him. If you were to go by the mantra that the best ability is availability, Pedri is the best player in Barcelona's squad, according to head coach Hansi Flick. The 22-year-old played 59 times in all competitions last season — more than any of his team-mates in 2024-25. Pedri can dictate the pace of Barcelona's possession single-handedly, with the ability to play a zipped through ball to a team-mate that most players would not even see. Using data from analytics company SkillCorner, no players made more line-breaking passes in La Liga than their midfield magician. Much like Raphinha, it is not that Pedri has gotten worse since The Athletic's previous rankings, but a subtle shuffle was inevitable once the biggest European trophy was handed out. Pedri continues to be one of the best midfielders in world football, and if there is a gap in your defensive lines, he will exploit it. Luis Enrique was pouring more praise on his players this week when saying that Hakimi was one of the best right-backs he has seen in his career. With such incredible form in the last 12 months, it is difficult to disagree. The 26-year-old's ability to get up and down the pitch verges on teleportation at times, supporting his side's attack as the furthest man forward but somehow the first one to make a tackle in the defensive third when PSG are on the back foot. It is that versatility that is so impressive — tucking inside into half-space areas, hugging the touchline, and making underlapping runs beyond the forward line to create a chance or score himself. 'Hakimi has freedom, he is not a full-back,' Luis Enrique said after PSG's Club World Cup victory over Real Madrid. 'When we have the ball, he can be a forward, a winger, a player between the lines, or a pivot. When we don't have the ball, he is a full-back who presses high, but he also has defensive work.' Full-backs should get more visibility in the Ballon d'Or shortlists, and none of them deserve it more than Hakimi this season. Mbappe's end to the season was not ideal. Acute gastroenteritis kept him out of much of Real Madrid's Club World Cup campaign, before an anonymous performance against PSG as his side were eliminated. Nevertheless, the individual numbers were strong for the 26-year-old during his first year in Spain. In May, Mbappe surpassed Ivan Zamorano's record of 37 goals (1992-93) scored in all competitions in a debut season for Madrid. Similarly, Mbappe broke Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano's record of 27 goals in a debut La Liga season (1953-54), finishing the campaign with 31 league goals. Sadly, individual numbers only get you so far in the Ballon d'Or reckonings, and overall, Madrid disappointed in Carlo Ancelotti's final season in charge. It would be a huge surprise if Mbappe managed to top the list in September. Two excellent finishes against Flamengo in Bayern Munich's last-16 victory encapsulated everything Kane is about. Barely looking up to see where the goal was, Kane was dead-eyed as he struck both efforts into the corner in acts of pure muscle memory. In truth, Bayern's exploits in the Club World Cup did little to move the dial in Kane's favour to lift the Ballon d'Or, but across the year, Kane's 26 goals were the most in the Bundesliga as the 31-year-old clinched the first trophy of his career. More broadly, only Dembele and Omar Marmoush had a higher rate of goals plus assists than Kane's 1.3 per 90 minutes across Europe's big five leagues. With back-to-back Kicker-Torjagerkanone's (the Bundesliga top goalscorer trophy) on his mantelpiece, people have perhaps taken Kane's productivity for granted in recent years. In a world where reliable out-and-out No 9s are a little trickier to come by, Kane is as much of a guarantee for goals as any player in world football.
