Liverpool legend, Jamie Carragher, has identified two players who may win the Ballon d’Or this year.

Carragher spoke after Paris Saint-Germain defeated Barcelona 4-2 in the Champions League .

The Englishman noted that Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe or Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane may win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

He also insisted that Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world at the moment.

“The Ballon d’Or is awarded on Monday, but that is about last season. Right now, we are looking at the next best player in the world.”

“Mbappe or Kane may win the Ballon d’Or this year, but at this moment, Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world,” Carragher said in a report.

Manchester City saw off AEK Athens in front of an Etihad crowd that had pockets of empty seats, prompting Enzo Maresca to comment on the drop in attendance

Manchester City hammered AEK Athens on Tuesday night but the post-match talk was dominated by the rafts of empty seats at the Etihad Stadium, which was only two thirds full.

After continued renovation, the Etihad now boasts a capacity of 61,038, and yet the official attendance was a mere 40,024. That came as no surprise with the match action often showing pockets of empty blue seats whilst large parts of the upper tier remained unsold. The match was City’s third at home in seven days following defeat by Paris Saint-Germain and victory over Ipswich.

It must also be said that AEK Athens are not the biggest sell on the fixture list, with City always expected to win relatively comfortably, which they did thanks to a Phil Foden hat-trick. He scored three in their 5-1 success with Elliot Anderson and Rayan Cherki also getting in on the act.

Enzo Maresca wasn’t concerned by the attendance, however, and told reporters after the game: “I think the ones in the stadium were good. The last game against Ipswich they were top and next week two games against Brighton and I’ve no doubt the environment will be good again.”

City fans have rallied recently in light of the guilty verdict, which was handed down by an independent panel and now threatens their place in the Premier League. An appeal has been lodged, but a major points deduction and relegation remains on the cards.

Amid accusations of cheating during a nine-year period that spanned from 2009 to 2018, City have come out fighting and their fans have waved large inflatable bananas during games, which stems back to the 1980s when fans took them to games following relegation.

City remain perfect in the Premier League, winning seven from seven to boast a three point lead over Arsenal in second. Maresca’s side face a challenging trip to Aston Villa at the weekend, they’ve lost their last three visits to Villa Park.

Alexis Mac Allister has admitted “something wasn’t right” for Liverpool under Arne Slot last season.

Slot became the seventh boss to win the Premier League in their first season in the competition when he led Liverpool to the title in 2024-25.

Yet the Reds dropped off last term, finishing fifth and failing to make significant progress in the cups.

Slot was dismissed at the end of the campaign, with Andoni Iraola coming in to replace him.

Iraola has made a strong start, with Liverpool losing only one game under the Spaniard so far. On Tuesday, the Reds recovered from 2-0 down to beat Villarreal 4-3 in the Champions League.

Mac Allister netted Liverpool’s first goal at Anfield, and he conceded that it just did not click for the Reds in Slot’s second season, as he credited Iraola for the turnaround.

“Last year was a really difficult year for all of us,”

“It was clear that I was not at the level. I am the first one to say, I have no problem.

“Something wasn’t right in the group. This manager changed it, and that’s really important.

“The way we play is quite different. I don’t like to compare. I feel good, that’s what I want and that’s what I enjoy.

“Now, it’s more man-to-man. You have to communicate less because you have to follow [the opponent]. Last year it was more of a zonal thing. With the national team we do more of a zonal thing and it works. Now, we do a one v one and it works.

“In the end, it’s about us taking the responsibility.”

Liverpool have avoided defeat in five of their six games in all competitions this season in which they have conceded the opening goal (W3 D2 L1), already more than across the entirety of 2025-26 (W2 D2 L18).