Monchi apologizes to Espanyol fans for picking Lamine Yamal as his Ballon d'Or favorite

Sometimes a simple answer on the radio turns into a headache. That's what happened to Monchi, Espanyol's sporting director, who had to come out and apologize after saying, without thinking it through, that his favorite for the Ballon d'Or is Lamine Yamal. The problem isn't the player, it's who the player plays for.

Lamine Yamal plays for Barcelona, Espanyol's eternal rival, and that doesn't go down easy in Cornellà, or anywhere else in the Espanyol fan world. The club's supporters took to social media to let Monchi know about it soon enough. Monchi understands rivalries well, having come through Sevilla and Aston Villa, but he's been in the job at the Catalan club for a relatively short time. This year Espanyol shares the same ownership group as England's Burnley.

It all started with a direct question on Cadena Ser. He was asked to pick among three players from three different countries: France's Kylian Mbappé, England's Harry Kane and Spain's Lamine Yamal. Monchi went with the Spanish option, without giving much thought to the crest on Yamal's chest.

"They asked me to choose between Mbappé, the French option, Harry Kane, the English option, and Lamine Yamal, the Spanish option. I went with the Spanish option. It's stirred up a bit of controversy among our fans, so if anyone was bothered by it, I apologize," Monchi explained.

What's notable is that the sporting director himself acknowledged the underlying mistake: he spoke as a Spaniard before speaking as an Espanyol fan, and at Espanyol that carries weight. He admitted as much without hedging:

I backed Spain's candidate, but as an Espanyol fan I should have named any other player. I know what it means to be an Espanyol supporter, I've felt that from day one. I said Lamine Yamal looking at it from a Spanish point of view.Monchi

Beyond the anecdote, the Ballon d'Or debate is still very much alive. Yamal, 19, finished runner-up last year behind Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé, and this year he's once again among the favorites, competing directly with Mbappé (Real Madrid), Kane (Bayern Munich) and Dembélé himself. The ceremony will be held in London on October 26.

Yamal himself hasn't held back about his chances. Last week he said he believes he deserves the award because, beyond winning LaLiga with Barcelona and the World Cup with the Spanish national team, the way he enjoys playing sets him apart from the other candidates.

While the question of who lifts the trophy in October gets sorted out, Espanyol already has another conversation on its hands: the next time someone asks Monchi about Barça's rivals, he'll probably choose his words more carefully.