Harry Kane leads MARCA’s 2025-26 player ranking as Ronaldo takes 33rd place

Harry Kane has been named the world’s best player for the 2025-26 season by Spanish newspaper MARCA, with Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal finishing second and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe third.

The annual “MARCA 100” ranking was decided by a panel of more than 200 former players, journalists and analysts from around the world. Their selections assessed performances for both clubs and national teams during the season.

Kane, the Bayern Munich striker, claimed the top position ahead of Yamal, who has emerged as one of Barcelona’s leading players. Mbappe, the France international and Real Madrid forward, completed the top three.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri was fourth, followed by Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in fifth. Lionel Messi, captain of Inter Miami, was sixth, one place above his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Fabian Ruiz.

Bayern Munich forward Michael Olise was eighth, while Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele took ninth. Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi completed the top 10.

Bellingham ahead of Vinicius Junior

There was a notable gap between the positions of Real Madrid team-mates Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.

England midfielder Bellingham was ranked 15th, while Brazil forward Vinicius Junior was 22nd. Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois finished 28th and Turkey midfielder Arda Guler was placed 47th.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugal captain who plays for Al-Nassr, was ranked 33rd. His team-mate Joao Felix was 70th.

Barcelona had several players among the leading positions. Brazil forward Raphinha was 13th, Spain midfielder Pedri 14th, and Ferran Torres 17th. Dani Olmo was ranked 21st.

Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia occupied 42nd place, while defender Eric Garcia was 55th.

Paris Saint-Germain also had a strong presence near the top of the list, with three players in the top 10: Kvaratskhelia, Fabian Ruiz and Dembele. Morocco international Achraf Hakimi was ranked 20th.

The French club was also represented by Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Marquinhos and Willian Pacho, although their precise positions were not detailed in the report.

The ranking included players from outside Europe’s major leagues, most notably Messi at Inter Miami and Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.