Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior is hoping to end October with a first Ballon d’Or in his hands in Paris, but his month also begins in France with a Champions League visit to Lille on Wednesday. With star summer signing Kylian Mbappe recovering from a thigh injury, Vinicius has taken the reins once again as Madrid’s key attacking influence. The reigning European champions are unbeaten in 14 matches on the continent and after a hard-fought win over Stuttgart on the opening day, are aiming to follow that up with victory at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Last season Vinicius endured a sluggish start to the campaign but hit form in the second half of the season to help Madrid earn a record-extending 15th European Cup triumph.

Despite brief teething problems as he and Mbappe worked out how to play together in the first weeks of this season, the pair seemed to be forging a good relationship before the Frenchman’s injury.

Madrid named Mbappe in their squad to face Lille but he is unlikely to start and may not feature at all. The forward was expected to be out until after the upcoming international break.

“We’re used to playing without (Mbappe) because last year he wasn’t here,” said Ancelotti on Saturday, before backing Vinicius to be crowned the world’s best player.

“I think so, he deserves it for what he did last year, for his impact in the Champions League, scoring in the semi-final and final — I think he will win,” continued the Italian.

“But if he doesn’t, no worries, we carry on, he’ll carry on.”

Uncertain summer

Mbappe’s arrival at Madrid at the end of his Paris-Saint Germain contract raised questions about how he and Vinicius would fit together, as both like to play coming in off the left flank.

Thus far Ancelotti has kept Vinicius in his favoured position, usually lining up with Mbappe in the middle.

Vinicius was criticised in his homeland after disappointing displays at the Copa America and then in World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

Brazil’s new coach Dorival Junior tried to ease the pressure on the forward.

“We are calm and can wait for the moment when everything blossoms,” he said last week.

In August there were reports that a Saudi Pro League club had offered Vinicius a huge deal and the player has not ruled out leaving Madrid.

Vinicius’ Real Madrid contract runs out in 2027 and the 24-year-old may reassess his options next summer.

For now his focus is on driving his team onwards in Europe and at home and he is clicking into gear on the pitch.

After two goals in his first seven appearances for Madrid across all competitions, the Brazilian came off the bench and scored to help Madrid come from behind to thrash Espanyol 4-1 in La Liga on September 21.

Vinicius also created a goal for Rodrygo in that match and set up Lucas Vazquez for another in the 3-2 win against Alaves.

Madrid outplayed rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday and Vinicius supplied Eder Militao’s opening goal, and although the match eventually finished 1-1 Los Blancos moved within three points of league leaders Barcelona.

Ancelotti replaced Mbappe with Luka Modric against Atletico in a 4-4-2 system but could revert to a 4-3-3 against Lille, with Vinicius’ compatriot Endrick pushing for a start.

Mbappe’s brother Ethan, 17, who signed for Lille this summer after leaving PSG as well, is injured and will miss the match.

Kylian Mbappe in action for Real Madrid© AFP

Paris Saint-Germain are two points clear at the top of Ligue 1 already after coming through their biggest test of the season so far on Sunday, winning 3-1 away to fellow Champions League contenders Lille. Vitinha put PSG ahead on a stiflingly hot night in northern France with a penalty and Bradley Barcola doubled their lead. Edon Zhegrova pulled one back in the second half to give the home side hope at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, but Randal Kolo Muani’s stoppage-time header wrapped up the win for the defending French champions.

Luis Enrique’s side appear to be coping just fine since the departure of their all-time leading scorer Kylian Mbappe, with PSG having won all three games so far this season, scoring 13 goals in the process.

They head into the September international break with a two-point lead at the top of the table from Marseille, Nantes, Monaco and Lens, and on this form it will take something special to knock them off the summit.

PSG’s Spanish coach said his team’s start to the campaign had been “magnificent”.

“This was an away game, with all the difficulty that comes with that, against a team who have qualified for the Champions League and played more matches than us,” he pointed out.

“Obviously there are things we need to improve but this was a good test.”

Champions League level

Meanwhile, Lille coach Bruno Genesio was left to regret the decision to deny his side a late equaliser, when Tiago Santos scored but the goal was disallowed by VAR for an extremely tight offside.

“It was quite a balanced game before the penalty. But these are Champions League games, the real top level, and you really need to avoid making mistakes and be even more clinical,” said Genesio.

Lille could be forgiven for feeling the effects of their Champions League play-off second leg away to Slavia Prague in midweek, when they weathered a storm to make the league phase of Europe’s elite club competition.

Despite that they almost went ahead when Bafode Diakite struck the post from a Zhegrova cutback in the first half, but PSG then won a penalty just after the half-hour mark when Ousmane Dembele was fouled in the area.

Vitinha rolled in the spot-kick, and Barcola then exchanged passes with Marco Asensio to run through and make it 2-0 on 36 minutes with his fourth goal of the season already.

Lille pushed after the break and were given hope when Zhegrova drilled in low from outside the box 12 minutes from the end.

They then thought they had drawn level when Santos netted, only for the offside flag to cut short the celebrations.

Kolo Muani made sure of PSG’s win in stoppage time when he headed home from a cross by recent signing Desire Doue.

PSG will begin their Champions League campaign in mid-September at home to Girona and will also take on Arsenal and Manchester City, amongst others, in the league phase.

Lille, meanwhile, can look forward to hosting Mbappe’s Real Madrid and Juventus in the coming weeks, although first they will go to Lisbon to play Sporting.

Marseille won 3-1 at Toulouse on Saturday with Mason Greenwood netting twice, while Nantes beat Montpellier by the same score away from home.

Monaco and Lens drew 1-1 on Sunday as Przemyslaw Frankowski netted a stoppage-time penalty to secure a point for the visitors in the principality.

Denis Zakaria had headed Monaco in front late on, but he handled in the box to allow Lens to leave with a draw.

Monaco will be in the Champions League after finishing last season as runners-up in Ligue 1, and the principality side will begin their campaign at home to Barcelona on September 19.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Nice claimed their first win of the season as Evann Guessand scored twice in a 4-1 victory at Angers, who have lost all three matches since returning to the top flight.

Le Havre came from behind to beat Auxerre 3-1 in Normandy, while Japan’s Junya Ito and Ivory Coast forward Oumar Diakite found the net as Reims recovered from the loss of an early goal to defeat Rennes 2-1.

Premier League outfit Manchester United announced the signing of young defender Leny Yoro from Ligue 1 side Lille on a contract that will run until 2029. The club released an official statement to announce the signing of the 18-year-old defender, which read, “Manchester United is pleased to confirm that Leny Yoro has joined the club, subject to registration. The French defender has signed a contract until June 2029, with the option to extend for a further year.”

At the age of 18, Yoro has already made 60 appearances for Lille’s first team. In the last season, he was included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season as well. He played a key role in helping Lille finish in the fourth spot in the league last season.

“Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour. Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family,” Yoro said after signing for Manchester United, as quoted from club’s official statement.

“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new team-mates. I cannot wait to get started,” he added.

Manchester United sporting director, Dan Ashworth, believes that the young defender possesses every attribute that could help him turn into a top-class centre-back.

“Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; he possesses every attribute needed to develop into a top-class centre-back. Having had such an excellent start to his career, we are excited to support him in reaching his immense potential here at Manchester United,” Ashworth said.

“This club has a fantastic record of developing young players, whether homegrown or brought in from elsewhere, and giving them the required guidance, time and patience to grow and flourish. Under Erik ten Hag and our excellent staff we will ensure that Leny has the perfect platform to achieve the success that everyone across the club is aiming for,” he added.