Fabian Ruiz has gone public about two ambitions at once. He says he wants a future return to Real Betis, and he is also willing to entertain Ballon d'Or talk after a season shaped by Spain's World Cup win and Paris Saint Germain's Champions League success.

Betis never really left his mind

Ruiz was clear about the homecoming part. “The truth is, yes. I've always said it. I never hide it. I'm eager to come back. It's getting closer every day. I'm a Betis fan, and one day I hope to return to Betis,” he told goal.com.

The route he took makes the quote sharper. He left Real Betis in 2018, then moved through Napoli before arriving at Paris Saint Germain. That is a proper career arc, not a quick detour, and it leaves room for sentiment without turning the move into fantasy.

Betis's own situation is not some romantic collapse either. They finished 5th in La Liga, and their last five league results were W L W D W. A return would not mean stepping back from elite football.

Ballon d'Or talk after Spain and PSG success

Ruiz was just as open about the award conversation. “Who wouldn't want to win a Ballon d'Or? I'm happy with the season I've had, winning the Champions League and the World Cup. If I'm in the running, it will be an honour,” he said.

That is a fair level of ambition, even if he is not being pushed as the clear favourite. He has 8 appearances at the World Cup, and his 7.02 rating in Spain's latest World Cup win suggests he finished the tournament in strong form rather than as a passenger.

There is a slight irony in the whole thing. The hometown favourite is talking about a Betis return, while the more immediate football case is that his biggest year has come at Paris Saint Germain and with Spain. The Ballon d'Or chat is real, though, and Ruiz has earned the right to say so.

Los Palacios keeps honouring its own

The setting explained why the story carried both nostalgia and celebration. At a hometown reception in Los Palacios y Villafranca, Ruiz and Pablo Gavi were each weighed for tomatoes after their World Cup honour ceremony.

Ruiz is to receive 85kg of tomatoes and Gavi 68.5kg, while the town hall will promote a monument to Ruiz, Gavi and Jesus Navas. Football fields are also due to be renamed after Ruiz and Gavi.

Los Palacios has a habit of treating its champions like local institutions, and Ruiz is clearly still one of them. For now, the quote that matters most is the simplest one: he wants Betis back in his life, and he is not pretending otherwise.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →