Welcome to the inaugural edition of ESPN’s Players of the Month!
We’re excited to launch this first edition where our team of experts will vote for the standout performers in Europe’s top five leagues each month: Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A, and Ligue 1. Once all votes are counted, we will announce the winners from each league.
– Grading the Premier League ‘Big Six’: Arsenal gets an A; Liverpool rated D
– Tottenham in crisis; Haaland shines for Man City; more insights
– VAR Review: Reasons for VAR not intervening during United-Forest corner incident
How It Works
The process is straightforward: Each month, three ESPN journalists from different countries vote for their top three players in each league. The scoring system awards three points for third place, five for second, and ten for the top choice. A player can earn a maximum of 30 points if all three selectors deem them the best player of the month.
In the event of a tie, the player with the most first-place votes is declared the winner.
Forward | Bayern Munich and England | 32 years old | 25 points
Bayern Munich has not suffered a defeat since their 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals on July 5, achieving an astonishing streak of 18 consecutive victories—comprising three preseason friendlies and 15 official matches across the German Supercup, German Cup, Bundesliga, and UEFA Champions League. The standout performer during this impressive run has been Harry Kane.
In the current season, the 32-year-old striker has netted 22 goals and provided three assists across 15 appearances, making him especially prolific in Bundesliga matches last month. Kane found the net twice in three games, helping the team end the month in first place with 24 points after victories against Eintracht Frankfurt (3-0), Borussia Dortmund (2-1), and Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-0). Notably, the last match was the first of the 2025-26 season where Bayern’s No. 10 neither scored nor assisted, proving he is human after all.
With 12 goals, Kane stands as the Bundesliga’s leading scorer, and was overwhelmingly voted by ESPN as the best player in Germany for October, earning 25 out of 30 possible points.
Second place:
‐ Christoph Baumgartner: MF, RB Leipzig (10 points)
Third place:
‐ Alejandro Grimaldo: DF, Bayer Leverkusen (8 points)
Forward | Marseille and England | 24 years old | 20 points
Acquired from Manchester United in mid-2024 for €31.6 million following a season-long loan to Getafe, the 24-year-old forward has emerged as one of Marseille’s top performers and was named October’s best player in Ligue 1, garnering 20 out of 30 points, receiving first-place votes from two out of three ESPN journalists.
Greenwood featured in all four of Marseille’s Ligue 1 matches that month, contributing to two wins (3-0 against Metz and 6-2 over Le Havre), one draw (2-2 against Angers), and one defeat (2-1 against Lens). He scored five of the team’s 12 goals, leaving Marseille in third place with 19 points, trailing behind AS Monaco (20 points) and league leaders Paris Saint-Germain (21 points).
Second place:
‐ Joaquin Panichelli: FW, Strasbourg (20 points)
Third place:
‐ Ilan Kebbal: MF, Paris FC (5 points)
Forward | Real Madrid and France | 26 years old | 30 points
Kylian Mbappé’s matches for Real Madrid have been nothing short of spectacular this season, regardless of the competition.
Widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world at the moment, he has consistently demonstrated his extraordinary abilities, especially in LaLiga, where he was voted the league’s best player of the month, earning all three first-place votes from our expert panel for a perfect score of 30 points out of 30.
During three matches in October, Mbappé was crucial, contributing to four of the six goals scored (66.6%). He scored once and assisted in a 3-1 victory over Villarreal, netted the lone goal in a 1-0 win against Getafe, and opened the scoring in El Clásico as Real Madrid triumphed 2-1 over Barcelona.
His outstanding performances helped secure Real Madrid’s lead in LaLiga with 27 points, five ahead of Barcelona, and he currently leads the league in scoring with 13 goals.
Second place:
‐ Jorge de Frutos: FW, Rayo Vallecano (6 points)
Third place:
‐ (tie) Jan Oblak: GK, Atletico Madrid
‐ Thibaut Courtois: GK, Real Madrid
‐ Vinicius Junior: FW, Real Madrid (5 points)
Midfielder | Napoli and Cameroon | 29 years old | 20 points
Anguissa has been instrumental for Napoli, helping the team reclaim its position at the top of Italian football and reestablishing their presence in Europe’s elite competition, 25 years after the Diego Maradona era.
Having contributed to two of Napoli’s last three league titles, Anguissa is enjoying a strong start to the 2025-26 season as Antonio Conte’s squad contends for the title once more.
At the end of the previous month, Napoli was tied for the league lead with Roma, both teams sitting at 21 points, with Anguissa key in their success. While he couldn’t contribute much in a 1-0 defeat to Torino, he scored three goals in the other three matches: one each in victories against Genoa (2-1), Lecce (1-0), and a decisive goal against Internazionale (3-1). His efforts earned him the title of Serie A Player of the Month for October with a score of 20 out of a possible 30 points.
Second place:
‐ Nico Paz: MF, Como (16 points)
Third place:
‐ (tie) Hakan Calhanoglou: MF, Inter Milan
‐ Jari Vandeputte: MF, Cremonese
‐ Mile Svilar: GK, AS Roma (5 points)
Forward | Manchester United and Cameroon | 26 years old | 30 points
Mbeumo, born in Avallon, France, to a Cameroonian father and French mother, has represented the Cameroon national team. After a season at Troyes, he joined Brentford, where he played for six seasons until being signed by Manchester United for nearly €81 million in July 2025.
The hefty transfer fee is proving worthwhile, at least early in the season, as the forward has emerged as a key player under manager Ruben Amorim.
Like Mbappé in LaLiga, Mbeumo received unanimous votes from all three ESPN journalists as the Premier League Player of the Month for October, achieving a perfect score of 30 out of 30 points. Over three league matches last month, the team secured three victories, with Mbeumo being a decisive contributor in each match.
His contributions included an assist in a 2-0 win against Sunderland, a goal in a 2-1 win over Liverpool, and two goals in a 4-2 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. As a result, the team finished the month with 16 points and was positioned sixth in the league alongside crosstown rivals Manchester City.
Second place:
‐ Erling Haaland: FW, Manchester City (15 points)
Third place:
‐ (tie) Bukayo Saka: FW, Arsenal
‐ Junior Kroupi: FW, Bournemouth
‐ Senne Lammens: GK, Manchester United (5 points)