Champions League Player Power Rankings 2025/26

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

With Rayan Cherki scoring in back-to-back games in the competition pre Christmas, the Manchester City playmaker has entered the top 50 over the last months.

Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang and Phil Foden are two of the biggest fallers in the rankings over the last few gameweeks.

40-31

Bayern Munich's teen sensation, Lennart Karl, is deserving of a spot in the top 40 after adding an assist to his three goals so far in the competition pre-Christmas. The German is one of the finest young players on the continent and is making waves in the Champions League this term.

Elsewhere, Lautaro Martinez drops after Inter Milan's shock exit at the hands of Bodo/Glimt.

30-21

The biggest riser after the latest round of matches in February is Atletico Madrid's Alexander Sorloth. The striker scored a hat-trick in the second leg of Atleti's remarkable 7-4 aggregate win over Belgian side Club Brugge.

Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez is one of the biggest fallers over recent gameweeks.

20-11

Julian Alvarez drops out of the top 10 having scored just once from the penalty spot during Atletico's handsome win over Brugge.

There's also a place in the top 15 for Marcus Rashford who has been electric for Barcelona in Europe since joining the Spanish giants on loan.

So, who is included in the top ten after February's matches?

10 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. That said, he is a recent faller in the rankings after a torrid time away at Bodo/Glimt.

9 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 five assists and a goal already in this year's competition, the fleet-footed winger is already looking deadly again.

8 Declan Rice

Last season, Rice powered Arsenal to the Champions League semi-finals courtesy of two remarkable free-kicks against Real Madrid, deserving of the Puskas award. If you didn't think he couldn't get any better, think again.

He dominated against Bayern Munich in match week five and can put himself in the Ballon d'Or conversation if Arsenal win multiple trophies. The England international has been a regular for the Gunners right throughout the season as they finished top of the league phase.

7 Jens Petter Hauge

Bodo/Glimt have been the story of this term's Champions League, remarkably defeating European giants Inter Milan 5-2 on aggregate.

Hauge has been a colossal part of their run with the forward netting six times in ten games. He's one of the top scorers in the competition.

6 Lamine Yamal

Yamal scored three and assisted three during the group phase, including a stunning man of the match display in Barcelona's final win before the knockouts over Copenhagen.

The Spain star is undoubtedly the trickiest player to defend one v one in the world right now.

5 Dominik Szoboszlai

Szoboszlai has been virtually unstoppable for a Liverpool side who finished third in the group phase, scoring or assisting in seven out of eight games.

The Hungary skipper has been Liverpool's standout star in an up and down season.

4 Anthony Gordon

While Bodo/Glimt may well be the competition's surprise team, Anthony Gordon is the surprise player. Only Kylian Mbappe has scored more goals than the Englishman who has bagged ten goals in as many games.

He was in rampant form during Newcastle's 9-3 aggregate win over Qarabag, scoring four goals in the first leg.

3 Vinicius Junior

The Brazilian is demonstrating precisely why he's one of the best in the world and netted two goals across Real Madrid's win over Benfica in the play-off rounds.

Subject of alleged vile racist abuse during that tie, he responded in the best way possible by scoring.

2 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 eight goals in as many appearances in Europe so far this season.

1 Kylian Mbappe

After a difficult spell for Real Madrid which saw Xabi Alonso sacked, Kylian Mbappe is back in the groove again.

Yamal this, Yamal that. With a ridiculous 13 goals in the group phase, the Frenchman is the greatest in the world right now.