Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has been named the best footballer of the 2025–2026 season in Spanish newspaper Marca’s annual Top 100 Players ranking, finishing ahead of Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé.
The England captain secured first place in the ranking released on Friday, October 23, just three days before the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Yamal finished second, while France international Mbappé occupied third position in the assessment of performances across club and international football.
According to Marca, the ranking was determined by a panel of more than 200 former footballers, journalists and analysts from different countries.
The panel evaluated players’ contributions throughout the season, producing a list featuring established stars alongside emerging talents.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri claimed fourth position, while Paris Saint-Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia completed the top five.
Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi ranked sixth, ahead of PSG midfielder Fabián Ruiz in seventh.
Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise finished eighth, with PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé taking ninth place.
Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí rounded off the top 10, highlighting the presence of younger players among football’s highest-rated performers.
Barcelona recorded several additional appearances in the ranking, with Brazilian winger Raphinha placed 13th and Spanish midfielder Pedri following in 14th.
Ferran Torres secured 17th position, while Dani Olmo finished 21st.
Goalkeeper Joan García and defender Eric García were ranked 42nd and 55th respectively.
At Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham emerged as the club’s next highest-ranked player after Mbappé, finishing 15th.
Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior placed 22nd, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois occupied 28th position.
Turkish midfielder Arda Güler was ranked 47th.
Paris Saint-Germain also enjoyed considerable representation, with Kvaratskhelia, Ruiz and Dembélé all finishing among the leading 10 players.
Other PSG stars included Achraf Hakimi, who secured 20th place, alongside Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Marquinhos and Willian Pacho.
The ranking extended beyond European football, with Messi representing Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, currently playing for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, finished 33rd.
His club teammate João Félix occupied 70th position.
Kane’s first-place finish adds another individual recognition to his season and places him above several prominent footballers ahead of Monday’s Ballon d’Or presentation.
However, Marca’s Top 100 ranking is an independent newspaper assessment and does not determine the outcome of the Ballon d’Or voting process.
With football’s major individual awards approaching, the list provides another measure of how leading players’ performances have been assessed during the 2025–2026 campaign.
Ezeana Emmanuel
