5. Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona & Spain)
At just 19 years old, Lamine Yamal won the World Cup with Spain, while being one of the most important players in the squad. He also won the Spanish Super Cup, LaLiga and was named Player of the Season. The only thing that didn’t go to plan for him, was the Champions League, as FC Barcelona were knocked out in the quarterfinals.
4. Ousmane Dembélé (PSG & France)
Ousmane Dembélé had an outstanding season, as he won back-to-back Champions League titles and another Ligue 1 title for PSG. He was once again PSG’s most decisive player joint with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, scoring in every Champions League knockout-stage except for the Play-offs, because he suffered an injury. He scored a brace against Chelsea in the quarterfinals, three goals and provided an assist against FC Bayern in the semifinals, and he scored the equaliser against Arsenal in the Champions League Final. The French striker has become a competitive monster, fitting perfectly into Luis Enrique’s plans. He also had a great World Cup, scoring six goals, including a first-half hat-trick against Norway, and dishing out 2 assists, as France reached the semifinals. The sky is the limit for him, as he’s in his prime right now at the age of 29.
3. Rodri (Manchester City & Spain)
Rodri had a tough time, as this was his first full season back after his ACL injury in 2024. He had a difficult first half of the season, as he missed a lot of games due to injury, but when the big games came around, he showed up in style. He dominated the midfield for Man City, winning the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup and just about missing out on his fifth Premier League title, as City finished second in the table. At the World Cup, he was the best player of the tournament, as he won the Golden Ball and lifted the World Cup trophy for the second time in Spain’s history.
2. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid & France)
Kylian Mbappé made history this season, as he was the top scorer in LaLiga with 25 goals, the Champions League top scorer with 15 goals in 11 games and the World Cup top scorer with 10 goals in 8 games. He also provided four assists at the World Cup and became the tournament’s all-time top scorer with 22 goals in 22 games. He had a monstrous season, scoring 57 goals across all competitions and could’ve easily won the Player of the Year if he had won titles. The lack of team success has cost him dearly on this year’s list, as his individual performances were on par, if not better, than this year’s winner.
1. Harry Kane (FC Bayern & England)
Harry Kane is the 2026 Home of The World’s Sports Player of the Year. He scored a career-high 72 goals across all competitions, won the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and narrowly missed out on the Champions League with FC Bayern, as they were knocked out in the semifinals by PSG. He scored a hat-trick in the DFB Pokal Final and scored in all his Champions League knockout games, as he finished the competition with 14 goals scored, just one behind the top scorer Kylian Mbappé. At the World Cup, he was very clutch for England, scoring six goals, including a brace to come back 2-1 against DR Congo in the round of 32 and a goal and an assist against Mexico in the round of sixteen to send England to the quarterfinals. He had a truly historic season and is deserving of the Player of the Year award.
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