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Bradley Barcola's Champions League hat trick for Liverpool against LASK on Wednesday night drew widespread praise from across the football world, including a glowing endorsement from the current Ballon d'Or winner, his former teammate and fellow Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé.
Under Barcola's social media post marking his treble, Dembélé left the comment: "Mon chouchou," a French term of affection roughly meaning "my favorite" or "my darling."
The two spent three seasons together at Paris Saint-Germain and are consistent fixtures in France's attacking line at international level, forging a connection that has endured beyond their club separation. When Barcola's high-profile move to Liverpool was confirmed at the end of August, Dembélé shared a collection of photos of the duo on his social media with the caption: "My brother."
Barcola Rewards Iraola's Leap of Faith
Bradley Barcola has arrived. pic.twitter.com/yelcmDy6mn
"100%." That was the degree of confidence Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola was prepared to extend to Barcola following a slow start to the campaign.
The $163 million (£123 million) signing from PSG had struggled through his opening six appearances for the Reds, failing to register a goal, an assist, or any notable impact while finding his footing in a side that was collectively underperforming. Yet Iraola remained unfazed.
"Sometimes we focus only on the numbers," the Basque manager reflected in the aftermath of Liverpool's 3–0 loss to Manchester City. "With Bradley, the other day he had good situations and we did not finish them. Bradley and Flo [Wirtz] are players that I trust 100%."
Iraola's belief was justified on Wednesday night as Barcola netted the first senior hat trick of his career in a wild 6–3 triumph in Austria.
"I'm really happy for Bradley because you were asking me yesterday about him not making the numbers, also Florian," Iraola said warmly. "I think both of them today played really well. I think they made a difference. Bradley apart from the hat trick, I think he was a threat always—one-v-one, threatening in behind."
Barcola Rivals Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal
Barcola's display also drew the attention of UEFA's technical observers. The Frenchman was shortlisted alongside Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, and Nicolò Tresoldi of Club Brugge for Matchday 2's Champions League Player of the Week award.
Tresoldi also bagged a hat trick, though the first of his three goals in a remarkable 4–3 away victory against Inter Milan came from the penalty spot. Kane is unlikely to claim the honor after scoring twice in a 3–3 draw with Viking FK, while Yamal makes a compelling case after mesmerizing Galatasaray's backline and spectators alike with a string of extraordinary skills in Istanbul.
No Liverpool player has claimed this particular honor since Alisson's extraordinary shot-stopping performance against PSG in the 2024–25 round of 16. Notably, two of the nine saves the Brazilian made that evening came at the expense of his future club colleague Barcola.
The last outfield Liverpool player to receive the award was Thiago Alcántara, who pulled the strings in a comfortable 2–0 semifinal first leg win over Villarreal more than four years ago.