Inside Spain: Lamine Yamal wonders, Zubimendi regrets and Mbappe does Cristiano – in every sense

Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

The Brazilian reportedly feels that Carlo Ancelotti is his only ally within the hierarchy at the club, following a week of stories about him saying that maybe the 2030 World Cup should not be hosted in Spain if it cannot improve its racism record. This comes amidst a slew of links to Saudi Arabia, and a frustrating start to the season for Real Madrid.

Jude Bellingham has accused people on social media of falsely drumming up controversy between him, Vinicius, Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo Goes – the star-studded quartet that are yet to truly click. Carlo Ancelotti did hint at the central problem on Tuesday night, although perhaps not intentionally.

The story during their 3-1 win over Stuttgart was perhaps Endrick Felipe, who scored 15 minutes into his European debut. Mbappe cut a similar figure to Cristiano Ronaldo throughout, scoring, doing little pressing, and then looking decidedly annoyed when Endrick scored instead of passing to him.

Several #RealMadrid players have come out and said that there would have been a problem if Endrick did not score when he had Vinicius right and Mbappe to the left.

Mbappe still looked like he had some choice words running through his mind when it went in.https://t.co/af0zTY3vv5

— Football España (@footballespana_) September 19, 2024

Meanwhile Barcelona thumped Girona at the weekend, winning 4-1 against a side that put four past them in both clashes last season. Everything has been going well for Hansi Flick, who has a 100% record, and Lamine Yamal leads the league for goal contributions with three goals and four assists in his five appearances. He is the flavour of the year in Spain, and even Lamine Yamal’s name has a cool story behind it.

It was somewhat soured by an injury to Dani Olmo, keeping him out for a month and stretching their squad even thinner. It means 16-year-old cousins Guille Fernandez and Toni Fernandez are on the bench in their Champions League opener against Monaco. At the very least, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong are doing some training after 10 and 5 months out respectively.

Girona did appear in their first ever European game against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, captained by 37-year-old Cristhian Stuani, who is the club’s record goalscorer and led them out of the second division to this point. They were drawing with the French side 0-0 at the Parc des Princes, until an agonising last-minute error from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga saw them lose at the death.

The #UCL kicks off, but it could be less attractive than last year – at least that's Carlo Ancelotti's view. #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/T1iqwHZpOe

— Football España (@footballespana_) September 17, 2024

Meanwhile Martin Zubimendi is reportedly regretting turning down Liverpool to remain at Real Sociedad, although it’s worth taking those reports with a pinch of salt. Chelsea have once again been linked with Jules Kounde as a potential option in January, and Manchester City are competing with Barcelona for Salzburg defender Samson Baidoo.

The other main talking point is strikes. Carlo Ancelotti kicked off the week asking for FIFA and UEFA to reduce the number of games in their competitions, before Rodri Hernandez declared they may have to take industrial action. That received backing from Dani Carvajal and Kounde too.

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