The Guardian's "The Knowledge" column tackles a reader's question about the earliest goal of a season to eventually be crowned goal of the season, prompted by Dom Ballard's spectacular backheel volley for Bristol City against Birmingham City in the Championship's second gameweek. The piece surveys historical examples to establish just how early such a contender can strike, noting Ballard's effort came on 22 August, with the article suggesting it has a strong chance of taking the 2026-27 Championship prize despite the season having barely begun.

Among the examples cited, Marco Matias's wondergoal for Sheffield Wednesday against Leeds United on the same calendar date in 2015 technically came later in that season's fixture list, while Ismaïla Sarr's halfway-line strike for Watford against West Brom on the opening day of 2022-23 (8 August, 12 minutes in) is identified as the earliest Championship winner found. Other notable mentions include David Beckham's famous 1996-97 lob against Wimbledon, Kieran Tierney's 2017 Scottish award-winning goal for Celtic, and a quirky pre-season Raúl goal for Schalke in 2013 that falls outside the strict criteria. The column also covers separate reader questions on player-managers winning international caps, including Kenny Dalglish's spell at Liverpool.