The Champions League remains the pinnacle of the European game, showcasing the very best that the continent has to offer, both collectively and on an individual basis.
Paris Saint-Germain romped to the title in emphatic fashion last time around, yet with talisman – and Ballon d’Or winner – Ousmane Dembele seeing his impact limited this time around due to injury, who else is now leading the way instead?
Ranking factors Current form Importance to team Reputation and honours 50-41
50. Guglielmo Vicario
Spurs
49. Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid
48. Phil Foden
Man City
47. Dennis Man
PSV
46. Carlos Forbs
Club Brugge
45. Hugo Ekitike
Liverpool
44. Desire Doue
PSG
43. Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal
42. Jens Petter Hauge
Bodo/Glimt
Former Wolves loan flop Carlos Forbs is a new entrant this week amid his brilliant brace during Club Brugge’s 3-3 draw with last season’s semi-finalists Barcelona, having also provided an early assist in that thrilling encounter.
Speaking of deadly doubles, Phil Foden also gets a nod after lashing him twice in trademark fashion as Manchester City hit Borussia Dortmund for four.
40-31
40. Fermin Lopez
Barcelona
39. David Raya
Arsenal
38. Marcos Llorente
Atletico Madrid
37. Rasmus Hojlund
Napoli
36. Nicolas Pepe
Villarreal
35. Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal
34. Scott McTominay
Napoli
33. Igor Paixao
Marseille
32. Lamine Yamal
Barcelona
31. Serhou Guirassy
Dortmund
Recent Anfield hero Marcos Llorente added to his tally with a strike at home to Union Saint-Gilloise, ensuring that the unsung Spaniard surges back into the top 40 this week.
There is also a place for teenage superstar, Lamine Yamal, with the Spaniard growing into this year’s competition after poking home in the 3-3 thriller away at Brugge.
30-21
30. Leandro Andrade
Qarabag
29. Goncalo Ramos
PSG
28. Julian Alvarez
Atletico Madrid
27. Kenan Yildiz
Juventus
26. Alejandro Grimaldo
Bayer Leverkusen
25. Trincao
Sporting
24. Geronimo Rulli
Marseille
23. Dusan Vlahovic
Juventus
22. Jeremy Doku
Man City
21. Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool
Moving into the top 30 is the star of surprise package Qarabag, Leandro Andrade, with the in-form talisman netting once again amid his side’s creditable 2-2 draw at home to Chelsea.
A word must also be said for Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, with the towering Serbian striker now averaging a goal every 64 minutes in this year’s Champions League, following his latest effort against Sporting CP.
20-11
20. Marcus Thuram
Inter
19. Marquinhos
PSG
18. Gabriel
Arsenal
17. Micky van de Ven
Spurs
16. Dean Huijsen
Real Madrid
15. Hakan Calhanoglu
Inter
14. Jeremy Doku
Man City
13. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia
PSG
12. Pedri
Barcelona
11. Denzel Dumfries
Inter
Micky van de Ven surges into the top 20 following his remarkable solo goal against FC Copenhagen in midweek, with the towering centre-back joined by north London rival Gabriel, following yet another clean sheet against Slavia Prague.
Elsewhere, Pedri and Denzel Dumfries top out of the top ten following that latest round of fixtures, with their something of a new look to the list below…
10 Achraf Hakimi
A reckless challenge from Bayern Munich’s Luis Diaz unfortunately looks set to halt Achraf Hakimi’s involvement over the coming weeks and months, with the Moroccan undoubtedly the best right back in the world right now.
9 Anthony Gordon
Already emerging as a key figure for Thomas Tuchel’s England, Anthony Gordon is seeking to take on Alexander Isak’s mantle as the new talisman back at Newcastle. Four goals and one assist from just four Champions League outings is a perfect way to start.
8 Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen has stormed into the top ten following his stunning hat-trick away at Ajax last time out, ensuring he now tops the charts with six goals from just three appearances in 2025/26.
7 Lautaro Martinez
Moving up into the top ten for the first time, Lautaro Martinez remains central to everything good about Inter, having now scored four times in this year’s edition after netting against Kairat on Wednesday night.
6 Michael Olise
Bayern Munich must be rubbing their hands with glee at having prised Michael Olise from Crystal Palace for ‘just’ £50m, with the France international going to new heights at the Allianz Arena.
With three goals and assists already in this year’s competition, the fleet-footed winger is already looking deadly again.
5 Marcus Rashford
There can be a perceived lack of interest or importance placed on these league phase fixtures, although Marcus Rashford has already served up reasons to be entertained, notably lashing home that stunner at St James’ Park, while producing an early contender for assist of the season after picking out Ferran Torres against PSG.
With two more goals under his belt against Olympiakos, albeit while firing a blank against Brugge, the 27-year-old is finally looking back to his brilliant best.
4 Nuno Mendes
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better left-back operating anywhere right now, with Nuno Mendes picking up where he left off last term, having been simply immense against both Barcelona and Leverkusen in recent outings.
3 Erling Haaland
Excluding the obvious duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the modern era hasn’t witnessed such a prolific presence as Erling Haaland, with the Norwegian already ripping it up in the new campaign.
A star for club and country, the 25-year-old arguably only ranks behind a certain Harry Kane as the continent’s finest number nine, with his latest European effort seeing him surge up our rankings.
2 Kylian Mbappe
Having somewhat upset the apple cart after joining then-holders Real Madrid last summer, Kylian Mbappe is back in the groove again under Xabi Alonso. With five goals so far in 2025/26 in the Champions League alone, there’s no stopping the Frenchman when he’s in this mood.
1 Harry Kane
The fastest player this century to reach 100 goals for one club, the England skipper is in the form of his life right now, notching up five goals already to kickstart his – and Bayern’s – bid for an elusive Champions League crown.
Joint second in the scoring charts, alongside Mbappe and Haaland, Kane is the man to beat right now.