Bradley Barcola Receives Two-Word Ballon d’Or Approval on Night of Vindication

Bradley Barcola’s Champions League hat trick for Liverpool against LASK on Wednesday evening earned acclaim from all corners of the game, including a seal of approval from the reigning Ballon d’Or holder, his former clubmate and compatriot Ousmane Dembélé.

Beneath the Frenchman’s social media post celebrating his treble, Dembélé commented: “Mon chouchou,” a term of endearment which translates to something along the lines of “my favorite” or “my darling.”

The pair spent three years together at Paris Saint-Germain and are regulars in France’s frontline at international level, forming a bond which has survived the uncoupling at club level. When Barcola’s blockbuster transfer to Liverpool was announced at the end of August, Dembélé posted a montage of images of the pair together on his social media account underneath the caption: “My brother.”

Barcola Rewards Iraola’s Leap of Faith

Bradley Barcola has arrived. pic.twitter.com/yelcmDy6mn
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) October 14, 2026

“100%.” That was the level of trust which Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola was willing to place in Barcola after a stuttering start to the season.

The $163 million (£123 million) recruit from PSG had labored through his first six appearances for the Reds, failing to score a goal, provide an assist or impress for any sustained period while getting up to speed in a team that was collectively struggling. Not that Iraola had any doubts.

“Sometimes we focus only on the numbers,” the Basque boss lamented in the wake of Liverpool’s 3–0 defeat to Manchester City. “With Bradley, the other day he had good situations and we did not finish them. Bradley and Flo [Wirtz] are players that I trust 100%.”

Iraola’s faith was vindicated on Wednesday night as Barcola scored the first senior hat trick of his career in a chaotic 6–3 victory in Austria.

“I’m really happy for Bradley because you were asking me yesterday about him not making the numbers, also Florian,” Iraola cooed. “I think both of them today played really well. I think they made a difference. Bradley apart from the hat trick, I think he was a threat always—one-v-one, threatening in behind.”

Barcola Rivals Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal

Barcola’s performance also caught the attention of UEFA’s technical committee. The Frenchman was nominated alongside Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal and Nicolò Tresoldi of Club Brugge for Matchday 2’s Champions League Player of the Week.

Tresoldi matched Barcola’s feat of scoring a hat trick, although the first of his treble in a stunning 4–3 away win againt Inter Milan was a penalty. Kane is unlikely to get the nod after notching a brace in a 3–3 draw with Viking FK while Yamal has a strong case after bewitching Galatasaray’s defense and the watching public with a series of baffling skills in Istanbul.

No Liverpool player has won this particular accolade since Alisson’s staggering shot-stopping display against PSG in the 2024–25 round of 16. Ironically, two of the nine saves the Brazilian produced that day denied his future teammate Barcola.

The last outfielder to claim the gong for Liverpool was Thiago Alcántara, who orchestrated a 2–0 semifinal first leg stroll past Villarreal more than four years ago.

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