Mourinho's Homecoming, Bouaddi's Breakthrough, and Ballon d'Or Buzz

0:00The messy effect is brought to you with the help of AI. Hi, I'm Jamie Rudd. It is Champions League match day one, and Europe did not ease anyone in gently. We had Maurinio Drama, a teenage sensation at Manchester City, Aston Villa doing Aston Villa things in Belgium, and a ballon or shortlist that will have people arguing for weeks. Let's get into it. Start with the headline of the night. Jose Maurinio took Real Madrid back to the Champions League stage and he did it by beating his former club Inter Milan. According to the Guardian, the match featured 37 shots and 13 saves between the two goalkeepers, which tells you everything about how chaotic it was. Killian M. Bat Pay and Fede Valverde gave Real the lead in the first half, and then Inter spent the next 45 minutes throwing everything they had at Tibo, Courtois. In the 89th minute, Courtois made what Maurinio described as the decisive stop of the night, denying Henrik Macatarian to preserve the win.

1:03Sky Sports confirmed the final score in favour of Madrid. Now here is the subplot that will not go away. Trent Alexander Arnold started in midfield again, and Maurinio's response afterwards was characteristically cryptic. According to BBC Sport, the Real Madrid manager said Alexander Arnold is not a midfielder. He is playing him there anyway, whether that is mind games, tactical flexibility, or just Maurinio being Maurinio, it has become one of the more entertaining ongoing debates in European football. Shift to Manchester City. According to the Guardian, City beat Porto in the rain to open their Champions League campaign with earling Harland scoring twice. But the story CBS Sports picked up, and the one that really has people talking is 18-year-old Ayub Bouaddi, who came off the bench and per BBC Sport, delivered a Champions League performance so mature that pundits are already asking

2:04whether City have found a genuine gem. He was signed with intent over the summer, and if Tuesday night is any indication that intent appears to be paying off early. Over in Belgium, Aston Villa beat Club Bruges in what the Guardian described as a first half treble that should have been comfortable and was not. John McGinn opened the scoring, Emmy Buendia added a second, and Nicholas Jackson, on his first Champions League appearance in Claret and Blue, got a third before the 43rd minute. Club Bruges pulled one back through a penalty after a freakish Tyrone Ming's handle, and Villa had to hold on. They did. BBC Sport noted that Villa are finally shooting on-site after a slow start to the domestic season, which is good timing with Nottingham Forest coming to Villa Park on September 12th. Now the story that will drive conversation through the weekend, according to CBS Sports, the Ballon Door finalist nominations are out, and Lennell Messy is on the list

3:05as he chases a ninth award. Harry Kane is also nominated. On the women's side, Roselovelle is the only American nominated for the top prize. The ceremony is heading to London for the first time. For any American soccer fan who has followed Messy's career, the idea of him in contention for a ninth Ballon Door, while playing in MLS, while no longer representing Argentina internationally, is a genuinely strange and wonderful sentence to say out loud. A quick look ahead at the Premier League. Weekend fixtures include Fulham at Liverpool, Everton at Tottenham, Arsenal traveling to Sunderland, and whole city visiting Chelsea, who were one to response after losing one, two, to Arsenal last weekend, a match in which Morgan Rogers scored inside two minutes before Kai Haa Vertz and Martin Erdogorde put the gunners in front. Manchester United, meanwhile, will be reflecting on dropping points at home to Everton in a five-gold draw that finished two, two,

4:08with Ainsley-Mateland Niles equalising in the 96th minute, also on Saturday, Brentford at Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest at Aston Villa, and Ipswich Town at Crystal Palace. Danny Olmo, in an interview with the Guardian published today, said, Winning the World Cup with Spain changes your life. Barcelona have eight World Cup winners in their squad, as they prepare to open their Champions League campaign against Firenord. He described the moment the final whistle blew as impossible to feel in real time, and then said seeing his family's reaction was when it truly hit. It is a lovely piece of sports writing and worth your time. For the messy effect, I'm Jamie Rudd.