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 only just making his first appearance in the competition 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. Felix Nmecha
Dortmund
47. Dennis Man
PSV
46. Josko Gvardiol
Man City
45. Hugo Ekitike
Liverpool
44. Marcos Llorente
Atletico Madrid
43. Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal
42. Desire Doue
PSG
Tottenham Hotspur’s Guglielmo Vicario surges into the top 50 following his inspired, Man of the Match display away at Monaco, while Jude Bellingham also sneaks in after netting his first goal of the season in all competitions in the narrow 1-0 win over Juventus.
New entrants also include Viktor Gyokeres and Desire Doue, with the pair netting a brace apiece in gameweek three, while Hugo Ekitike also gets the nod after starring on his return to Frankfurt.
40-31
40. Fermin Lopez
Barcelona
39. David Raya
Arsenal
38. Jens Petter Hauge
Bodo/Glimt
37. Lamine Yamal
Barcelona
36. Micky van de Ven
Spurs
35. Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal
34. Rasmus Hojlund
Napoli
33. Igor Paixao
Marseille
32. Leandro Andrade
Qarabag
31. Serhou Guirassy
Dortmund
On a night of goals galore, Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez netted a stunning hat-trick as the LaLiga giants put six past Olympiakos, with Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli also scoring for the third game running in this year’s edition as the Gunners hit Atletico Madrid for four.
Elsewhere, although surprise package Qarabag slipped to their first defeat away at Athletic Club, that outing saw talisman Leandro Andrade get on the scoresheet once again, having netted inside a minute in Bilbao.
30-21
30. Nicolas Pepe
Villarreal
29. Geronimo Rulli
Marseille
28. Julian Alvarez
Atletico Madrid
27. Scott McTominay
Napoli
26. Alejandro Grimaldo
Bayer Leverkusen
25. Dusan Vlahovic
Juventus
24. Goncalo Ramos
PSG
23. Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool
22. Victor Osimhen
Galatasaray
21. Gabriel
Arsenal
Speaking of goals coming in vain, Napoli’s Scott McTominay bagged a brace amid the Serie A side’s 6-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven, with former Naples hero Victor Osimhen also adding two more to his collection as Galatasaray saw off Bodo/Glimt.
The latest round of fixtures also proved to be a standout night for Premier League centre-backs, as Virgil van Dijk nodded home in the 5-1 thrashing of Frankfurt, while man of the moment Gabriel again got in on the act from a set-piece.
20-11
20. Marcus Thuram
Inter
19. Marquinhos
PSG
18. Trincao
Sporting CP
17. Kenan Yildiz
Juventus
16. Dean Huijsen
Real Madrid
15. Hakan Calhanoglu
Inter
14. Jeremy Doku
Man City
13. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia
PSG
12. Karim Adeyemi
Dortmund
11. Lautaro Martinez
Inter
Currently sitting in third in the table, Inter are making light work of the competition thus far, with both Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu among the goals during their latest 4-0 thrashing of Union Saint-Gilloise.
It was also another fine outing for PSG’s Georgian superstar, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, with the former Napoli winger again among the goals as the Ligue 1 outfit hit Bayer Leverkusen for seven.
10 Pedri
Paul Scholes’ “new favourite footballer”, Spanish genius Pedri just keeps on pulling the strings for Hansi Flick’s side, having notably run the show in the previous win over Newcastle United – boasting nine duels won and a mammoth 112 touches from his central midfield berth, as per Sofascore.
9 Achraf Hakimi
Widely – and rightly – viewed as the best right-back in the world, Achraf Hakimi remains a vital cog in Luis Enrique’s relentless Paris Saint-Germain machine, with three assists already under his belt despite the new Champions League season still being in its infancy.
8 Denzel Dumfries
Moving up into the top ten for the first time, Denzel Dumfries remains central to everything good about Inter, having also been among the goals again alongside Lautaro and Calhanoglu in Belgium.
7 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.
6 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 three Champions League outings is a perfect way to start.
5 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.
4 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, the 27-year-old is finally looking back to his brilliant best.
3 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.
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-top of the scoring charts, alongside Mbappe, Kane is the man to beat right now.