The best players of the season 2025-26

@comme, if you don't mind, I'd like to contribute to this thread. Matchday after matchday, I've been noting all the ratings for the Spanish league. Between yesterday and this morning, I've weighted and balanced the averages according to the criteria used by each source and the number of matches and minutes per match in which each player participated. The final result satisfies me to some extent, but not entirely. However, I believe they are as fair as possible. Before announcing them in descending order, I'd like to make a few clarifications so they can be better understood:
1) Only the league is taken into account, not the entire season.

2) Mbappé's high number of goals gives him an extraordinary average score in the objective sources, moving him up many positions compared to his subjective average (press ratings).

3) Fermín and Dani Olmo occupy lower positions than one might imagine, since for a good part of the season they substituted for each other, thus lowering their minutes per match and, consequently, their average rating.

4) Pubill's strong season deserves recognition, although he could only be assessed in 19 matches, which reduced his overall score by 6%. Therefore, it's no surprise that he doesn't appear in my ranking of the best players.

5) Like Pubill, Eder Militao, Espí, Joao Cancelo, and Gavi have all demonstrated a very high level of performance in their respective appearances. Their situation is even more complex than Pubill's, as they were assessed in fewer matches and, moreover, played only a few minutes in many of them, resulting in a significant penalty. This is why they are not included in the ranking presented below.

@comme, si no te importa, quisiera poner mi granito de arena en este hilo. Jornada tras jornada, he ido anotando todos los ratings de la liga española. Entre ayer y esta mañana he ponderado y equilibrado los promedios según los criterios que usan en cada fuente y los partidos y minutos por partido en que participó cada jugador. El resultado final me satisface en cierta medida, pero no del todo. Sin embargo, creo que son los más justos posible. Antes de anunciarlos por orden decreciente, quisiera hacer algunas aclaraciones para que puedan entenderse mejor:
1) Solo se tiene en cuenta la liga, no toda la temporada.
2) La buena cantidad de goles de Mbappé le hace tener una extraordinaria puntuación media en las fuentes objetivas, subiendo muchas posiciones respecto a su promedio subjetivo (calificaciones de prensa).
3) Fermín y Dani Olmo ocupan posiciones más atrasadas de lo que uno se imaginaría, pues durante buena parte de la temporada se sustituían mutuamente, bajando así su minutaje por partido y, de esa manera, bajando su rating promedio.
4) Hay que destacar la buena campaña de Pubill, si bien solo pudo ser valorado en 19 partidos, penalizando su nota en un 6 %, razón por la cual no puede extrañar a nadie que no aparezca en mi ranking de los mejores.
5) Al igual que Pubill, Eder Militao, Espí, Joao Cancelo y Gavi han demostrado un muy buen nivel en lo que han jugado. El problema es mayor incluso que el de Pubill, pues fueron puntuados en menos partidos y, además, en muchos partidos salieron pocos minutos, "penalizando" por este criterio una barbaridad. Es por ello que no figuran en el ranking que presento a continuación:

 

LIGA 2025-26

1.- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona): 7,54
2.- Pedri (Barcelona): 7,09
3.- Mbappé (Real Madrid): 7,03
4.- Joan García (Barcelona): 7,00
5.- Abde (Betis): 6,9
6.- Raphinha (Barcelona): 6,84
7.- Eric García (Barcelona): 6,8
8.- Aarón Escandell (Barcelona): 6,8
9.- Fornals (Betis): 6,77
10.- Ounahi (Girona): 6,74
11.- Vinicius (Real Madrid): 6,73
12.- Milla (Getafe): 6,71
13.- Oyarzábal (Barcelona): 6,66
14.- Cubarsí (Barcelona): 6,62
15.- Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna): 6,62
16.- Fermín (Barcelona): 6,62
17.- Ryan (Levante): 6,61
18.- Febas (Elche): 6,61
19.- Valera (Elche): 6,6
20.- Ratiu (Rayo Vallecano): 6,6
21.- Valverde (Real Madrid): 6,61
22.- Carlos Romero (Español): 6,58
23.- Gerard Moreno (Villarreal): 6,58
24.- David Soria (Getafe): 6,57
25.- Dmitrovic (Español): 6,56
26.- Muriqi (Mallorca): 6,55
27.- Lejeune (Rayo Vallecano): 6,55
28.- Kike Salas (Sevilla): 6,54
29.- Barrios (Atlético de Madrid): 6,54
30.- Pepé (Villarreal): 6,53
31.- Tchoumeni (Real Madrid): 6,52
32.- Oblak (Atlético de Madrid): 6,52
33.- Carreras (Real Madrid): 6,48
34.- Radu (Celta): 6,47
35.- Courtois (Real Madrid): 6,47
36.- Cucho Hernández (Betis): 6,46
37.- Edu Expósito (Español): 6,46
38.- Marcos Llorente (Atlético de Madrid): 6,46
39.- Antony (Betis): 6,45
40.- De Jong (Barcelona): 6,45
41.- Bellingham (Real Madrid): 6,43
42.- Batalla (Rayo Vallecano): 6,43
43.- Toni Martínez (Alavés): 6,42
44.- Pape Gueye (Villarreal): 6,41
45.- Guler (Real Madrid): 6,39
46.- Dani Olmo (Barcelona): 6,39
47.- Leo Román (Mallorca): 6,39
48.- Budimir (Osasuna): 6,39
49.- Sergio Herrera (Osasuna): 6,37
50.- Vladochinos (Sevilla): 6,35
51.- Marcos Alonso (Celta): 6,35

 

Other players have lacked consistency, continuity, or simply haven't performed as well as they have in the past. Some of them are:

Unai Simón (At. Bilbao): 6,33
Ferrán Torres (Barcelona): 6,32
Rashford (Barcelona): 6,3
Moleiro (Villarreal): 6,28
Simeone (Atlético de Madrid): 6,25
Julián Álvarez (Atlético de Madrid: 6,1
Borja Iglesias (Celta): 6,08
Lewandowski (Barcelona): 6,03
Alex Baena (Atlético de Madrid: 6,03

 

MY XI:

A: Joan García; Ratiu, Eric García, Cubarsí, Carlos Romero; Fornals, Pedri, Ounahi; Lamine Yamal, Mbappé, Abde
B: Aarón Escandell; Marcos Llorente, Lejeune, Kike Salas, Carreras; Valverde, Milla, Fermín; Raphinha, Oyarzábal, Vinicius.

 

XI LIGA:

Sports Illustrated: Joan García; Bellerín, Mouriño, Cubarsí, Carlos Romero; Milla, Pedri; Mbappé; Lamine Yamal, Muriqi, Abde

LaLiga / EA Sports: Joan García; Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, Eric García, Carlos Romero; Pedri González, Luis Milla, Alberto Moleiro; Lamine Yamal, Muriqi y Kylian Mbappé.

COPE (Pedro Martín): Joan García; Ratiu, Cubarsí, Eric García, Carlos Romero; Milla, Pedri, Fornals; Lamine Yamal, Mbappé, Vinicius.

 

MORE OF LA LIGA

The ideal LaLiga and EA Sports squad was as follows:
Goalkeepers: Joan García and Courtois.
Defenders: Eric García, Marcos Llorente, Carlos Romero, Cubarsí, Mouriño, Pubill.
Midfielders: Pedri, Tchouameni, Valverde, Guler, Fornals, Moleiro, Fermín, Pablo Barrios and Milla.
Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Mbappé, Muriqi, Raphinha and Oyarzábal.

Maldini World ranked these three as the best:
1. Lamine Yamal
2. Pedri
3. Mbappé

 

Goal.com has dared to publish its list of the 50 best (highly debatable, by the way) before the Champions League final has been played.


1.- Kane

2.- Olise

3.- Lamine Yamal

4.- Mbappé

5.- Rice.

6.- Ousmane Dembelé.

7.- Luis Díaz.

8.- Kvaratskhelia

9.- Bruno Fernandes

10.- Vitinha

11.- Haaland

12.- David Raya

13.- Gabriel Magalhaes

14.- Lautaro Martínez

15.- Pedri

16.- Cherki

17.- Nico Paz

18.- Dimarco

19.- Raphinha

20.- Malen

21.- Vinicius

22.- Saliba

23.- Julián Álvarez

24.- Kimmich

25.- Igor Thiago

26.- Diomande

27.- Achraf Hakimi

28.- Semenyo

29.- Undav

30.- Nuno Mendes

31. Muriqi

32.- Pacho

33.- Doué

34.- Joao Neves

35.- Joan García

36.- Szoboszlai

37.- Luis Suárez

38.- Thauvin

39. Saka

40.- Lepaul

41.- Ueda

42.- Fermín

43.- Calhanoglu

44.- Rogers

45.- Gibbs-White

46.- Vuskovic

47.- Svilar

48.- Tah.

49.- Osimhen

50.- O’Reilly

 

Some of you may be familiar with fantacalcio.it. It's an excellent database of Serie A season averages based on various criteria, including those from major Italian newspapers and other statistical sources. The truth is, the final ratings generated by each of these criteria are perfectly reliable, with very small deviations, which, in my opinion, gives it considerable credibility. Here are the top 28 players in Serie A this season, according to the numbers I recorded:

1. Malen: 6.75
2. Dimarco: 6.63
3. Modric: 6.47
4. Yildiz: 6.46
5. Calhanoglu: 6.45
6. Falcone: 6.45
7. Lautaro Martínez: 6.44
8. Carnesecchi: 6.43
9. Nico Paz: 6.41
10. Marcus Thuram: 6.4
11. Atta: 6.37
12. Zielinski: 6.37
13. Da Cunha: 6.36
14. McTominay: 6.35
15. Caprile: 6.34
16. Baturina: 6.33
17. Akanji: 6.32
18.- Mancini: 6.31
19. Locatelli: 6.31
20.- Maignan: 6.31
21.- Bremer: 6.3
22.- Pavlovic: 6.3
23.- Perrone: 6.29
Svilar: 6.29
25.- Provedel: 6.29
26.- Barella: 6.29
27.- Rrahmani: 6.27
28.- Palestra: 6.26

 

Weighting this data in what I believe to be the fairest and most balanced way, using dbscalcio, whoscored, sofascore, and fotmob, the best Serie A ratings were as follows:

1. Dimarco: 6.81
2. Malen: 6.77
3. Calhanoglu: 6.69
4. Nico Paz: 6.68
5. Modric: 6.67
6. Yildiz: 6.642
7. Lautaro Martínez: 6.63
8. Carnesecchi: 6.59
9. Marcus Thuram: 6.55
10. Da Cunha: 6.53
11. McTominay: 6.53
12. Locatelli: 6.53
13. Falcone: 6.52
14. Maignan: 6.49
15. Barella: 6.48
16. Mancini: 6.47
17. Akanji: 6.47
18. Svilar: 6.47
19. Provedel: 6.47
20. Bremer: 6.47
21. Baturina: 6.46
22. Caprile: 6.46
23. Rrahmani: 6.46
24. Zielinski: 6.45
25. Atta: 6.45
26. Pavlovic: 6.44
27. Perrone: 6.44
28. Palestra: 6.42

To these we should add Bastoni and Rabiot, who, despite not being at the same level as the others according to Fantacalcio's criteria, compensate for this with high ratings on WhoScored, SofaScore, and Fotmob.

 

Based on those ratings and the proposed ideal XIs, we can clearly conclude that Dimarco would have been the best player in Serie A, despite the great signing of Malen. The debate in goal would be endless, since Maignan and Svilar would be very evenly matched, but Carnesecchi would surpass them both quantitatively. As center-backs, as I mentioned before, Bastoni should be in the starting eleven, and the other should be either Bremer or Mancini. At right-back, I would put Palestra, although Akanji's stats are slightly better. At left-back, obviously, Dimarco. In midfield, I'm clear: Calhanloglu, Modric, and Nico Paz. And up front, Malen, Lautaro Martínez, and Yildiz.


De acuerdo a esos ratings y a las propuestas de XI ideales podemos llegar a la conclusión que, de una manera clara, Dimarco habría sido el mejor jugador de la serie A, a pesar del gran fichaje que supuso Malen. El debate en la portería sería inacabable, puesto que Maignan y Svilar estarían igualadísimos, pero es que Carnesecchi les superaría cuantitativamente hablando. Como centrales, como antes dije, Bastoni debería estar y entre Bremer y Mancini debería estar el otro. Como lateral derecho, colocaría a Palestra, aunque los números de Akanji son ligerísimamente mejores. De lateral izquierdo, obviamente, Dimarco. En el centro del campo lo tengo claro: Calhanloglu, Modric y Nico Paz. Y arriba, Malen, Lautaro Martínez y Yildiz.

 

Just as I did with Serie A, I also compiled data from various sources and calculated a weighted average for Ligue 1. Since the ratings from L'Equipe and MPGStats are quite strict, I had to adjust the multipliers for each source to align the ratings with the aforementioned league. The relatively low ratings of many PSG players, also evident in DBSCalcio, may be somewhat surprising, as this means that big stars who have undoubtedly performed much better in the Champions League are ranked lower in the league. These are the ratings higher than 6.4:

1. Koffi (Angers): 6.73
2. Greenwood (Marseille): 6.69
3. Sangare (Lens): 6.67
4. Vitinha (PSG): 6.66
5. Dembele, Ousmane (PSG): 6.65
6. Nuno Mendes (PSG): 6.6
7. Baidoo (Lens): 6.6
8. André (Lille): 6.58
9. Tolisso (Lyon): 6.58
10. Thauvin (Lens): 6.56
11. Sarr (Lens): 6.53
12. Kebbal (Paris): 6.52
13. Camara, Lamine (Monaco): 6.5
14. Rongier (Rennes): 6.49
15.- Niakhaté (Lyon): 6.49
16.- Udol (Lens): 6.48
17. Doué, Desiré (PSG): 6.48
18. Lepaul (Rennes): 6.47
19. Endrick (Lyon): 6.45
20. Thomasson (Lens): 6.45
21. Boat (Strasbourg): 6.45
22.- Joao Neves (PSG): 6.42
23. Sinayoko (Auxerre): 6.42
24. Mandi (Lille): 6.42
25. Meunier (Lille): 6.41
26. Zaire Emery (PSG): 6.41
Kvaratskhelia is left with 6.39, as are Risser, Cresswell, 6.38, Barcola, 6.37, Pacho, 6.23 and Hakimi, 6.11.

With this and the various proposed ideal starting elevens, the following team could emerge: In goal, I believe Koffi has been slightly better than Risser.
Nuno Mendes would continue to be the best-performing left-back in the league. Although the best right-back in Ligue 1 and, of course, one of the best in the world, the numbers indicate that, at least in the league, he hasn't been good, quite the opposite of the Belgian Meunier, one of those with the best average in L'Équipe. At center-back, I would place the Lens pairing: Malang Sarr and Baidoo.
In midfield, Vitinha is a must. I would pair him with Sangaré, Tolisso, and Desiré Doué, leaving the Greenwood-Dembélé duo up front.

 

Just one thing : unfortunately for Lens and for himself, Baidoo got injured at one point, was not the same player again after that, went a bit better then faded again. He did not play the Cup final btw.
When he just came back, Lens lost pts. to PSG.

Here you can see all his ratings month by month : https://ligue1.com/fr/player-sheet/l1_championship_player_2025_6_104992/matches?month=7

(no ratings = did not play, even as as a substitute)

Otherwise, without these problems he had, yes, and surely RCL would have caused more trouble to PSG. Pierre Sage also did not find the good defensive formula immediately, during his absence.
Once he setup the best formula he could do, Ganiou was really the big revelation of the league, in defense... and amongst the biggest revelations, each line taken in account.

Personally I wish Baidoo would have had a L1 first team type of season (it started well in that direction) but given the facts, with regrets, I could not put his name on the paper.
He stays blocked at 1 cap for Austria and obviously he is not selected for the World Cup. Not sure it would have changed much things for the Austria's chances in this tournament, but for his progression, it's a pity.
He's 22. Until then, everything went well for him but now... I fear. He's only 22 though so, let's see if he can rebound. He's been the perfect replacement for Danso up to that problem. But I tend to think that he is subjected to injuries.

 

Thank you so much for your help. Would it be reckless to put Mandi in instead of Baidoo? I'd like to ask you a question. Even though PSG's advantage over the second-placed team ended up being "only 6 points," don't you think Ligue 1 is very distorted by PSG's clear superiority? And another question. Is it possible that the low overall ratings of PSG players from L'Equipe's reporters are due to them not needing to exert themselves beyond the bare minimum to win most of the matches, with the "excuse" of being in top condition to defend their Champions League title, a tournament in which they surely received better ratings?

 

I'd like to add the fantasy Ligue 1 averages to the equation, but I can only see those of the best XI, in which, by the way, Vitinha is light years ahead and Niakathé could be just as serious an option as Mandi to be in the hypothetical XI alongside Sarr. Is there any way to see the averages of all the players who participated in Ligue 1, sorted by category?

 

I havn't seen enough of Mandi (who is 34 years old btw) but he often came in the discussions amongst the journalists/ pundits in the TV shows and radio broadcasts. Received much praise. That's all I can tell.
Then, Niakhaté is quite in that ball-park too (but I won't have him in the best XI... not that he is not good but he lacks a little something in my view... he talks much, proves to be a leader also on the pitch with his commitment... is not a poor defender by any means... but there's something that makes me not ultra-confident with him... dunno... maybe he will prove me wrong at the World Cup and take it to the real top-level there or during the next season... let's see... I prefer not being carried away about him, for now... same thing with Sarr, btw).
In spite of his relative "downs" this season (at the image of his team, due to the summer Club World Cup and blablabla...), I think it's safe to chose Pacho, as the UNFP did. Not only a safe choice but also the rightful choice, imo. He's the best defender in Ligue 1, in Europe and in the world (I say this since the previous season). Hoping that he continues like that and that he won't be tired at the World Cup.

PSG have 5 times the funds (which are in truth, something like infinite) of the 5 other L1 richest clubs.
However, Lens stood a real chance to win the title this year (so why not the "doublé" with the Cup). Unfortunately, their game against PSG was postponed at one point due to the UCL and coincidently, Baidoo, who was on great form, got injured. The second and last point being the most important in my opinion.
Now, I mean for the next season, I doubt that PSG will have another contender like Lens again (starting with Lens themselves).

The Ligue 1 is the laboratory for Luis Enrique. With the turnover in the squad, the different tactics/ choice of men, the use of young players in order to make them grow and see if they can enter the "mould" (a mould wich demands much movements), the preparation of the future with Dro especially (who integrated the club and the team well apparently and surely will play more during the next season, to rest more the others too)... PSG still got the results.
But it's true that it did not permit to the "B-team players" to especially shine in the eyes of the journalists. Also, yes, the "A-team" players were far to play at 100% of their possibilities. Because they knew they had to manage their body too...
At times, some come-backs were almost too early although they took some time...
... and I think that Vitinha played with an injury during the whole season too, so he could not be actually at 100% anyway (it's my opinion, my feeling). Younger Neves and especially older Ruiz (who both knew physical problems too) were more preserved.

Otherwise, Zabarnyi was horrendous during the whole season, except by the end maybe. So let's see for the next season. As for Beraldo, a little success, he was converted in the Vitinha role ultimately, which is way better than having him at the back it seems... a bit at the image of Edmilson in the past.

Now, Dembélé was elected PoY with so few games/ minutes played... but who else instead ? His goal against Lille has marked the spirits for sure. It can symbolize his superiority in the L1. I think this is it, and that would be my argument too (alongside the fact that I can't see any other contender, on this one last season).

As for the Fantasy League, I don't have an account so I can't tell if the average ratings are provided within the game.

 

Thank you so much for all your valuable information. Regarding Pacho, I know he's among the best center-backs in the world, but, speaking of Ligue 1, it seems he's had to rotate a lot in the league to be able to play practically every minute in the Champions League. If I go by the ratings I've seen, he hasn't been at his best, which could be due to a lack of consistent playing time week after week, conserving energy, the journalists' skepticism at not giving 100%, or a combination of all of these. That's why I don't think he deserves the recognition he's received for his performance in this competition, but I reiterate that, along with Marquinho, whose numbers have also dropped considerably, they are clearly the best center-backs in Ligue 1. Whether they prove it is another matter entirely...