Harry Kane tops MARCA’s 100-player ranking as Lamine Yamal finishes second

Harry Kane has been named the world’s best player of the 2025-2026 season by Spanish newspaper MARCA, with Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal finishing second and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe third.

The annual ranking was decided by a panel of more than 200 former players, journalists and analysts from around the world. Their votes assessed performances for both clubs and national teams during the season.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri was fourth, while Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia completed the top five. Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi was sixth, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Fabian Ruiz in seventh.

Bayern Munich’s Michael Oliseh was eighth, followed by Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele in ninth. Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi was the youngest player among the top 10, taking 10th place.

Bellingham ahead of Vinicius Junior

Jude Bellingham was the highest-ranked Real Madrid player, finishing 15th. His team-mate Vinicius Junior was 22nd, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois occupied 28th place.

Arda Guler was ranked 47th. Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, came 33rd, while his team-mate Joao Felix was placed 70th.

Barcelona had several players high in the standings. Brazilian forward Raphinha was 13th, one place behind Spain midfielder Pedri. Ferran Torres finished 17th and Dani Olmo was 21st.

Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia was ranked 42nd, with defender Eric Garcia in 55th place.

Paris Saint-Germain also prominent

Paris Saint-Germain had three players in the top 10, with Kvaratskhelia fifth, Fabian Ruiz seventh and Dembele ninth.

Morocco international Achraf Hakimi was 20th, while Paris Saint-Germain team-mates Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Marquinhos and William Pacho also featured at various positions in the list.

The ranking included notable players from outside Europe’s major leagues, led by Messi, who plays for Inter Miami, and Ronaldo, who represents Al-Nassr.

The results highlighted a number of notable differences in the positions of leading contenders for the major individual awards, including Yamal’s second-place finish behind Kane and ahead of Mbappe.