30 Oct 2024 08:24:03
Reports starting to come out now that we are putting contract offers to Trent but he is turning them down. Anyone know if there is any truth in this?
30 Oct 2024 09:58:28
That made me laugh out loud. Seriously @Westwood, who do you imagine on the forum has even the remotest idea of what’s going on?
30 Oct 2024 10:11:37
Truthfully I don’t think anyone on this forum really has the answers when it comes to current contract updates.
It seems very well under wraps based off what credible journalists are publishing info and how often they’re sharing it.
30 Oct 2024 10:12:51
Well if the club have left it until now, I'm struggling to blame him tbh.
Nonetheless, I'm sure some people here will be delighted.
30 Oct 2024 11:22:08
It is easy to blame the Club or Hughes.
No one knows or will know the real truth.
If TAA wants to go, he will go.
It doesn't matter if the club opened the discussion 1 or 2 years earlier. At the point in time, his team will always say we have time and we can evaluate later.
All the best to him if he goes but one thing is Madrid fans are not as patient as here.
30 Oct 2024 14:16:36
The truth will come out sooner or later. I believe he told the club he’d be leaving on a free a while ago. Real Madrid been in his ear for a while.
30 Oct 2024 14:44:28
No one on the group has any idea about transfers, contracts, formations, tactics and player personalities etc but it doesn't stop us being here.
30 Oct 2024 15:17:12
The worst part about all of this is the amount of people sharing their opinions as facts. Nobody except the people involved in negotiations and Trent himself actually know for sure what's happening. So anything anybody claims to know for a matter of fact is Chinese whispers at best, or totally made up at worst.
My personal belief (and it's literally based on nothing but opinion) is there is no way the club just forgot to offer a homegrown player in his prime a new contract. I can only guess but surely they're either negotiating already or they had the conversation and Trent made it clear he wanted a new challenge. There is no logical reason to leave it until the final 9 months of his contract to start negotiations/ conversations. Just think about it from a common sense perspective. The club gave Konate and Quansah new contracts a matter of weeks ago and Virgil has said he is in talks, so I struggle to believe the club would do this whilst leaving Trent (our vice captain and probably 4th best player) in the dark.
Ultimately, Trent either signs or he doesn't. I've never seen a team fall apart because they lost a full back. I'd argue the spine of the team is you keeper, your CB partnership, your captain, your midfield engine and your most consistent goal scorer. Virgil and Salah fall into this category big time and that's why tying them down (or if not, replacing them) will be much more crucial in my opinion. Bradley isn't as good as Trent but if he had to start a cup final for us tomorrow against Vini Jr I'm not losing any sleep over it at all. So if Trent does want to go, I'd thank him for the memories and wish him luck in every game left in his career except when he plays us!
It's a bit different for Virgil and Salah with their contracts, as at their age it possibly made sense to wait and see how they coped with getting older and simultaneously being asked to learn a new style. As it happens, it looks like Virgil will be staying judging by his interviews and I'd predict it's only a matter of time before he signs but you never know for sure. With Salah, it's much more quiet in the media. I refuse to believe nobody has talked to him at all about his future at the club. He's the star player and there's just no way any club on the planet let's their best player get to 9 months on their deal without even a conversation but how that conversation would've gone, only he will know. I would not be shocked to see him go as his agent has always hawked him around but I never got the impression it was totally about money for him. So given the fact Real Madrid and Barcelona don't need him (they have Mbappe and Yamal) the only realistic options I see for him are Bayern and PSG. I just can't see him going to Saudi at 32 years old and if he does I'll be staggered. That move will still be there for him in 5 years time when he actually need a final pay cheque.
If I'm totally wrong and there simply hasn't been any communication to Trent or Salah on new deals then yes, that is an absolutely embarrassing level of incompetency but I simply cannot believe that is the case. Even if Trent and Salah said it publicly, I'd chalk it up as a negotiation tactic or them doing some damage limitation on their decision to leave.
My views on this topic seem to attract plenty of stick for whatever reason (I love it really) so I'll reiterate that I thoroughly believe they are 3 of our best players and they are all world class. But I still maintain we will not lose all 3, and I have seen nothing so far from Slot to doubt his ability to remodel the side in his image so until he gives me reason to doubt him, I'm choosing optimism. No players last forever. Yes, Trent really should've been tied down to a longer deal 2 years ago, but it is what it is. I'm just at peace with whatever happens and if we line up next August without all 3 of them in the team, I'll cry when we cross that bridge!
30 Oct 2024 16:47:27
Speculating is fun - it used to be great fun and an integral part of being a fan.
The trouble these days is social media and the overwhelming volume of ‘information’ which may, or more likely not be valid. As has been said many times the passing on of (invalid) information as fact (usually under the banner of my opinion) usually ends up in the pantomime ‘oh yes it is’, ‘oh no it isn’t’ thread or worse the usual name calling or petty character attack thread.
30 Oct 2024 16:52:23
I think i just that, rumour. Fans worried because nothing has happened or appears to be going on and Madrids disruption tactics.
I still think he signs a new contract.
30 Oct 2024 17:14:42
Umm the eds might know, don't really see what's so funny there. Next time Ed002 gets pelters for anything (despite the fact that his insights are the main reason most of us are here) I'll remember that we shouldn't be here for any such insider info. If you've got nothing decent or helpful to say, why not just keep quiet ay? This forum is going down the pan with the amount of negativity and trolling. Honestly go strangle a kitten or something if you need to get your superiority kicks from somewhere. Kids ay.
30 Oct 2024 17:19:19
Congrats on the super fan trophy MKS. Really well deserved bro. am going to do a Madrid and not show up to the award ceremony though. when you see something wrong you say its wrong, super fans always support blindly no matter what. Leaving Trent-Alexander to pick his next club is our fault no matter how you spin it, FSG love delaying contract talks so they don't pay the extra wages for more time than necessary. Just look how many ''superstars'' have left the Red Sox for example just like Trent is about to do. If they gave him a new deal 2 years ago then this conversation is mute, however they thought he is a local lad so he'll sign no matter what so no reason to pay that extra money for 2 years, makes no financial sense for them, now he is most likely gone for free. But am glad you are calm and not losing sleep over it, which is normal as its just a game of football and nothing that actually matters when considering life in general.
30 Oct 2024 17:39:15
I agree with what you've said, there, MK. Apart from Trent being world class, because I don't believe he is. But, like you, I don't believe there's any failing on the club's part for not opening negotiations.
30 Oct 2024 17:45:44
@Westwood, see what I mean about the different view and name calling?
30 Oct 2024 18:41:03
Think that’s my 2nd superfan award this week, Fiskesprett. going to have to start charging you and Seano rent at this rate. I’m starting to feel guilty living in both your heads for free ?
Keep up the loan updates btw, much appreciated.
30 Oct 2024 18:54:10
Nah mate, we just disagree on how the club have handled this one but you're allowed to think what you want. As i said its not really that important in the grand scheme of things.
30 Oct 2024 19:07:59
Great post there MK. I agree with pretty much everything you say.
30 Oct 2024 19:35:08
Well Jamie Redknapp has just said on Sky Sports before the game “ all the signs are that Trent’s leaving in the summer”
Another player who thinks the grass is greener elsewhere .
Like all the others who left and regretted it …. but LFC is bigger and we’ll replace him as usual .
30 Oct 2024 21:24:08
Trent’s Ballon D’Or comments spoke volumes. It’s ok that he wants to try new things and elevate himself onto the biggest platform, he’s got real talent, and application and has done a lot for us so good luck to him. We’ll find a good replacement, no worries.
30 Oct 2024 21:54:34
My only worry in all this. Is I don’t believe in Hughes to replace this calibre of player.
30 Oct 2024 21:59:15
I thought Trents balldor comments were were funny. Personally I don't think he'll ever win it. He's got way too big for his boots in my opinion and if he wants out i wish him well and hope he succeeds but I don't really care. The club will move on.
30 Oct 2024 22:29:34
Don’t know about the rumours but my mate who lives near Mike Alexander changed his position today.
I asked him about the rumours and he seemed to believe in them. So I asked him directly and he’s completely changed his position. He’s always been a staunch denier saying ‘he’s going nowhere’.
Today I was shocked when he said ‘I think he might go’.
He didn’t say he’d spoken to Mike, but it was an extreme about turn. Not good to hear.
30 Oct 2024 22:29:53
MK Scouser-Amen to that, and yes, we'll go again, perhaps with a few tears in our eyes.
Arguably VVD is the most important of the 3, and could potentially go on for 3/ 4 more years. He doesn't need to/ rarely sprints anyway, and it all sounds promising as far as he is concerned.
I look forward to seeing who Slot replaces and with whom. This side will get better and better if the early indications are anything to go by.
I also look forward to seeing who the next few youngsters will be to break into the first team. If we can show the best young players that there is a clear pathway into the first team, we can attract the very best of them, as say Dortmund have, at times.
30 Oct 2024 23:21:59
I'm not an 'FSG out' type of guy, I think I've been clear on that consistently for the past few years. But it's hard to see a set of circumstances where it's not a colossal mistake by the people FSG employed to run the club to let Trent's contract get into its last year like this.
I know people who think they're incredibly clever will say "oh they couldn't have forced Trent to sign a new deal or leave for money. Maybe he always wanted to leave. Ah. " but I firmly believe, due to the complete lack of rumour and media noise about a new contract for Trent until the summer (not to mention what both Ed001 and Ed002 have said, as well as public statements by Salah and van Dijk about not receiving offers) that no serious attempt to get Trent to sign a new deal was made before this season. Not offering Trent a deal, at the bare minimum in January this year, if not earlier is frankly speaking, negligence.
I appreciate there was a bit of staff turnover at a high level, but how bloody hard is it to arrange a meeting with Trent and his agent? How can that not be done for a whole year? I can get a 19 person committee into a meeting on two-three week's notice as part of my job. And if it was a case that this somehow couldn't be done cos it was the Sporting Director or Technical Director's job and we had staff turn over and Schmakte on a short term deal, then whoever was over those people (Mike Gordon? ) should've stepped in and sorted it.
I feel very strongly that the club have let the fans down on this one. Maybe Trent will sign a new deal and won't leave. Maybe he was going to leave anyway and it wouldn't have mattered. But the minimum we should expect from the club is that they make the greatest effort possible to keep quality players in their prime years at the club and not let them leave for nothing. It genuinely doesn't look like they've done that here. There's no excusing this, imo.
The only saving grace is that we have Bradley, who's very talented. So if he does go, we might get away with it.
31 Oct 2024 01:00:17
Fisk, what MK said is absolutely spot on. There are too many people passing off their opinion as fact and it’s rather irritating.
I really don’t see how you can put all of the blame on the club and be so sure in your opinion when you have absolutely no idea what has gone on behind the scenes. You’re simply speculating like the rest of us are.
For all we know the club might have tried to open talks 2 years ago but Trent wasn’t interested as he wanted to keep his options open. We really have no idea.
So for you make up some cock and bull story about how FSG just don’t want to pay more wages and they thought he’s a local lad so would just sign is quite frankly laughable. You’re annoyed and are just throwing baseless accusations around as if they were true. It’s exactly what MK’s initial post was about and you proved him absolutely right.
31 Oct 2024 04:07:53
Ah come on MK I haven’t said anything about it for ages! I disagree with you but it’s all good your opinion is as valid as mine. We both hope all 3 sign at the end of the day so fingers crossed.
31 Oct 2024 06:24:11
@SR, I’ve mentioned a few times now that in August last year I was over in Liverpool and aught up with a few mates one of whom works at the club - junior position and not in any way a decision maker. I was asking him what the gossip at the club was. He didn’t have anything earth shattering but he said he’d heard that TAA was taking Spanish lessons. The lad in question, who I’ve known for over 30 odd years doesn’t normally come across as a nutter. It seems like a strange thing to say if it was a wind up (as opposed to something like the club are trying to sign a big name. Not saying that it means he might have had his heart set on playing for RM either, after all the lad might just have wanted to learn a language in his spare time. However, it could also be interpreted as TAA having made his mind up in late summer 2023 that he wanted a new challenge. If that is the case it is likely the club could do nothing about it.
31 Oct 2024 06:55:42
Trent talking about wanting to win the ballon dor is a good sign he wants to move to Real to improve his chances. He will go and that will be one of his reasons for leaving 100%.
31 Oct 2024 08:02:56
I didn't make anything up, quick google search will show how many Stars left their "franchize" for free.
31 Oct 2024 08:13:17
I don't know anything about inside of Liverpool but I do know that quite a few at the top in Madrid have been confident of signing Trent on a free as long as 12 months ago. Far as I'm aware nothing has changed in that regard they still believe Trent will sign there as a free agent.
31 Oct 2024 09:23:48
just hope he knows what he's doing because when it all goes tits up and the Real fans are out for blood he'll realise he's never going to play for his boyhood club again. Real want Trent because he's on a free, and who can blame them? but there's not a hope they would be wanting to pay the 70,80 even 90m pounds it would take to bring us to the table. Could be why were seemingly chasing the young rightback from Chelsea.
31 Oct 2024 09:30:14
I'm not too fussed about Trent leaving (if he does ) only thing I'm bothered about is the millions we won't get in with his transfer fee. very bad management or naivety on the boards part .
31 Oct 2024 10:28:36
Spot on MK, agree with you.
To add I feel that maybe 2 season ago Trent believe we might get his mate Jude to join him and he waited to see if that would happened.
And when we didn't he probably wondered what it would be like to go to Real and pushed back any contract talks.
And then when Klopp decided to go he then wanted to see what the new manager would be like.
So I guess I what I am trying to say is that the events that have happened over the last few season have contributed to the situation we are in now with Trent.
And now he wants a new challenge maybe or wants to be a club legend and caption of his club.
Who knows and whatever he decides I will be happy for him, though he won't care what I think :)
31 Oct 2024 11:10:42
What if Trent is looking over his shoulder and see’s CB breathing down his neck? Maybe that has something to do with it from Trents perspective or even the club’s?
31 Oct 2024 15:07:31
@WDW - That may indeed be the case. If so c'est la vie, I suppose.
My issue is with how the club have seemingly handled this. They should have made the most effort possible to keep him - if they can't keep him so be it. But it doesn't look like they've made the most effort.
31 Oct 2024 16:34:39
To let your 3 best players all get into the last year of their contracts is factually correct. Also imo it’s factually correct to say the club have been highly incompetent getting themselves into this mess.
31 Oct 2024 20:27:27
@Markp, using the word ‘factually’ doesn’t alway mean what’s being said is a fact. Your second ‘fact’ let's itself down with the ‘in my opinion’ thing. Can I ask how have the club been highly incompetent?
31 Oct 2024 20:41:48
@SR, I think since the FSG era started the club has moved from the days of a leaky sieve to playing its cards very close to its chest, with the one notable exception of Jurgen which basically destabilised the last third of last season on and off the pitch. It might very well be that they have re-tightened the flow of information in terms of what they see as in-house business.
There’s a genuine possibility that the club has done / is doing everything they can, or feel that they want to do, to keep the players. There is actually no real evidence to suggest that this isn’t (or is) the case.
Personally, I’d find it really, really odd, for a club that is, by and large, run very well to not have had a dialogue with TAA’s agent at various times throughout the contract. It’s also equally possible that the club may have known for sometime that TAA may have decided to leave. If that is the case there is very little the club to do (perhaps make offers that keep getting turned down perhaps) and the kerfuffle about negotiations and their timing is moot.
31 Oct 2024 20:45:58
MK - I fully get what you're saying. People will form an opinion based on speculation but that share their opinion as if the speculation is fact. It's a really tiresome form of debate tbh.
31 Oct 2024 21:47:05
markp08 : what makes you assert the club has been “highly incompetent”.
It’s my belief the club has no control over whether players run down their contracts or not.
01 Nov 2024 06:56:01
It’s an opinions website.
More or less everything said on here is opinions.
Not sure why some are confused with that.
01 Nov 2024 07:22:52
Yes, what's there to get irritated? It is all point of view. We all have one that is different and we need not think alike or agree.
Agree with Rome. We are in minority who believe he is a very good player but not world class level. These days the term is used very loosely.
Seeing Jaros performance (short highlights) makes me feel that valencia goal keeper signing is very stupid. Always felt the same before.
01 Nov 2024 08:17:34
@Jk23, in my opinion I think that @MKS’s opinion is correct in that an awful lot of people think that their opinion is, in fact, fact, which is, in fact, incorrect.
01 Nov 2024 08:58:53
WDW I'm glad you got the word opinion in otherwise i would have been confused lol.
01 Nov 2024 10:02:09
WDW, that's literally my main point and as others have said, some of these replies have only served to prove my point. Although I do sometimes forget that it's always hard to perceive the tone of a typed message, and for a lot of people on here English is probably not their first language. So maybe they don't mean for what they write to come off as if it's "fact". I've quickly typed things on here myself that I've then read back later on and realised it sounded as if I believed what I was saying was a fact. It's easily done and it's done by all of us at some point but there is a lot of it flying about on this topic. But no offence was intended to any one individual.
I am starting to think the frustrations of a quiet summer transfer window have boiled over, and many people are just projecting that now. I get it, as it's not clear to us fans what the club are looking to do moving forward (they have no obligation to tell us though) and this forum is a perfect place to vent to like minded people. It's absolutely fine to think keeping these 3 players should be a priority and I literally agree with that viewpoint. However unless you know exactly what John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, Billy Hogan, Michael Edwards, Andy Hughes, Richard Hughes, Arne Slot, Mo Salah (and his agent/ family), Trent AA (and his agent/ family) and Virgil Van Dijk (and his agent/ family) all want you simply cannot speak on the topic of who is incompetent/ to blame with any authority. There are far too many people involved in the financial and strategic side of running a football club (all with their own agendas) for any of the leaked information about contract negotiations to be taken as gospel.
01 Nov 2024 11:11:20
Any player- including Trent- does not have to sign a new contract
I think someone else has already mentioned that we could have been talking to his representatives for a long time and not progressing to the point of a new contract for various reasons
The owners are business people - there’s no way (IMI) they’d be happy with an “asset” going with no financial reward
So I believe that the club has talked and has been getting noises from the Trent camp that has strung the process along.
01 Nov 2024 11:42:24
I would say a competent club offers their better players contracts with a minimum of 2 years before their contracts are due to end and have replacements lined up if needed. I could understand posters possibly believing the club have done all they can if we had one player in this current position. To have three star players in this position is incomprehensible. It’s incompetence and that’s very polite.
01 Nov 2024 12:29:49
markp08, I don't see any relevance that there are 3 players in their final year. I respect your opinion/ belief that the club could've done more, but my opinion/ belief is that Trent made his mind up a while ago and Virgil/ Salah wanted to wait to see how the transition goes. At their age they don't have time on their side and whatever people may think of Klopp's tenure, the football side of things was up and down (at best) during his last 4 years. We went from winning the Champions League and the Premier League in back to back seasons 2019 and 2020, to only winning 3 domestic cups in 4 years and scrapping for 4/ 5th place in a couple of seasons between 2021-2024. We all recognise these are 3 world class players, so why would they sign new deals with a club that isn't winning any of the biggest honours and had major uncertainty at management/ boardroom level? World class players don't play for Carabao Cups and 4th place.
01 Nov 2024 12:54:46
He’ll be at Madrid with Bellingham, mbappe, touch, and a list of others klopp wanted but could never attract or afford. Can still see klopp there next season ( more so with barcelona becoming a team again) . And also think they’ll be an offer for Allison Becker in there too. My opinion when klopp left us and I’m sticking to it.
01 Nov 2024 13:04:21
I can’t believe anyone thinks it’s anything other than a disaster class. Has it ever happened before, to any other major club? It’s probably going to cost us a minimum of £100m lost income. Money that we desperately will need to replace even one of those players. It’s a very black and white issue.
01 Nov 2024 13:31:48
Markp08, how much did Real Madrid pay PSG for Mbappe? It's Trent's right to run his contract down, as it was Mbappe's. It is my opinion that VVD will sign a new contract. Regards to Salah, I'm not so sure. What I am sure about is we've had the best years of his career, if he decides to go. And, like MK says, no club as ever fallen apart after a full back as left.
I don't believe it's a disaster at all, but it's your right to believe that it is. A "disaster" in my eyes is what's happened in Valencia.
01 Nov 2024 16:18:23
mark08 - do you know for a fact the club didn’t start discussions 2 years earlier?
I’m assuming you do as you seem very confident.
Nevada has already said Madrid were confident of signing him 12 months ago - sort of when Klopp announced he was leaving.
Clubs know what’s going on with other clubs. Agents represent players and sometimes managers. Agents talk to each other.
If Trent had decided he was going to Madrid 12 months ago, the club will have heard. Maybe that’s why CB was blooded last season.
01 Nov 2024 19:16:37
I've finally made it to the end of this thread and wish I hadn't started.
01 Nov 2024 20:47:42
Ah, but is it really the end @barakdee? ?
Every now and again something bad happens and we all agree it puts things in life into context. The flooding in Spain and the loss of so many lives is a disaster. Someone signing or not signing a contract extension is trivial and is definitely not a disaster.
01 Nov 2024 21:00:28
A disaster class. Obviously not a natural disaster.
Let’s stick with highly incompetent and hope lessons are learnt and quickly.
01 Nov 2024 23:41:05
You haven’t actually answered the question about evidence of incompetence. You just keep saying that the club is incompetent without producing any evidence whatsoever of incompetence.
02 Nov 2024 09:36:39
What’s your evidence that theere is no incompetence WDW? Only people inside the club know what’s going on but doesn’t the lack of contracts to 3 key players who if they leave we will get zero to little money for point more to incompetence than competence?
02 Nov 2024 10:11:01
That's the beauty of an online forum WDW, he doesn't have to back it up with evidence, it's just an opinion, in this case an expression of his mindset. There's very little to gripe about regarding results on the pitch so something else has to be found to condemn the club with.
The less we lose on the pitch the more off the pitch stuff gets blown out of proportion to balance that out. Some sort of coping mechanism I suppose, but ultimately harmless.
02 Nov 2024 12:30:49
Did ed01 not say Trent was game to sign months ago but club messed around?
02 Nov 2024 13:18:00
It’s just as bad if the club did offer a contract to Trent 2 years ago and they couldn’t sell him the project. As a local lad, future captain it should be an easy sell. Maybe Trent wants to win top trophies and he can’t see a way to consistently do that at Liverpool with this current ownership.
02 Nov 2024 17:06:55
Yes Mark, of course the club is to blame if a young millionaire chooses to earn a greatly enhanced future salary elsewhere. And as good a player as Trent undoubtedly is, who's to say Klopp or Slot see him as future captain material?
In other less interesting news we've just gone top of the table again.
02 Nov 2024 18:15:07
It’s like the club holds all the cards.
That’s total BS.
If Trent wants to run out his contract and then try his hand abroad then fair play. The club literally has no option.
Salah and VVD are coming to the end of their careers, the pace of the premier league will catch up with them sooner rather than later.
If they leave, they leave. Good luck to them, fabulous servants to the club, deserve the very best send offs.
02 Nov 2024 18:49:21
If all he cares about is money Flash then he can do one. Klopp mentioned more than once about him being a future captain. I believe the club has completely balls up the Trent contract, you believe what you want. I was wrong once before but can’t remember exactly when ?.
{Ed025's Note - get your own material Mark.. :)
02 Nov 2024 19:14:09
@WarMachine, I haven’t said the club has been either competent or incompetent in the matter. I don’t have evidence for either as I don’t work for the club or as an agent for the 3 players and I have no idea of the status of the negotiations between the club and the players.
One of the forum contributors believes that the club is guilty of incompetence. Now he’s either making stuff up, is using the word incorrectly, or must have some actual knowledge of the contract negotiations and the way Liverpool are handling them.
In his last post he seems to have come to an understanding that the club may have had one or more offers rejected by the player perhaps even as far back as 2 years ago - 2022 being, apparently, a magical year to re-negotiate contracts) . Of course blame for not having the contract offers accepted automatically falls on the club for not selling the vision - which presumably would have meant there would be no turn over of staff and everything would remain constant.
I appreciate that we are dealing with one thought at a time, so there’s always hope that the thought TAA has never had any intention to renew and just wants to experience something new might see the light of day. Even if the thought does ever see the light of day I’m pretty sure that it will still be the club’s fault.
@Mark, still waiting for the evidence / proof of incompetence ….
02 Nov 2024 20:15:01
Ha, nice one ed. How you keeping?
{Ed025's Note - im good thanks mark, how are you mate?..
02 Nov 2024 23:09:11
Sound ed, cheers.
03 Nov 2024 09:39:16
I think everyone would agree we shouldn’t have let all three key players contracts run down, but there were also quite a few mitigating circumstances, such as maybe wanting to see how VVD and Salah played as they aged, or perhaps these players didn’t want to sign something without having clarity on the new manager etc. it’s hard to pin it all on pure incompetence.
Having said all this, I think Trent will go personally (especially given his Ballon D’or comments), but I suspect he’s making a big mistake. If Real Madrid happen do well as a club, which will be necessary to win, he’s then going to be up against Vini, Bellingham, Mbappe. I suspect this may be why Jude didn’t get it, or even why Rodri won over Vini (ie. the vote was split with Jude) …. although I’d also like to add that I think Rodri was 100% the right choice.