Bilal El Khannouss on playing in the UEFA Champions League, building on FIFA World Cup successes, and his Ballon d’Or favourites

Now a full-time member of Stuttgart’s squad after his loan deal from Leicester City was made permament in May, El Khannouss spoke to the Bundesliga about his hopes of carrying the stellar form he enjoyed with Morocco at the FIFA World Cup 2026 forward into the new campaign, his ambitions with Stuttgart in his debut Champions League season, and who he thinks should win the Ballon d’Or.

Bundesliga: By finishing fourth in 2025/26 and qualifying for the Champions League, Stuttgart secured European football for a third time in a row. But it is your first year in the Champions League. How excited are you about playing in this competition?

El Khannouss: "I was very excited because I have never played in the Champions League before. I've played in almost every competition in my young career, but the only one I was missing was the Champions League. I played my first game last Wednesday [against Viking]. So yes, I was very happy with it and I hope we're going to have a great campaign."