Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe were the heroes again, as Real Madrid got their revenge on Barcelona for four straight Clasico defeats in 2024/25 to remain top dogs in the 2025/26 La Liga table with a 2-1 win over the Blaugrana.
Here are the latest Ballon d’Or power rankings after the narrative-turning El Clasico.
5. Manchester City ST Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland has been the biggest star in the Premier League again this season, and you really have to wonder where Manchester City would be at this point in the campaign and in the table without the Norwegian sensation bagging 11 goals in 9 games.
4. Barcelona RW Lamine Yamal
While Lamine Yamal was a bit disappointing in El Clasico, we are still talking about the most electrifying winger in the world with a whopping five dribbles completed per game in league play.
Yamal doesn’t have the counting statistics of the other players on this list, but all you need to do is watch him play and see both his quality and his importance to this Barcelona team.
3. Como AM Nico Paz
Nico Paz is technically the second Real Madrid player on the list, and even though the Merengues already have two amazing young playmakers in Arda Guler and Franco Mastantuono, you can see why Xabi Alonso and the club want to bring him back.
The Serie A superstar has literally outplayed those guys, even Guler, this season. He is the best playmaker in the world right now with four goals, four assists, and an insane 3.3 key passes per game as the genius carrying Como to victory week after week against all comers.
2. Bayern Munich ST Harry Kane
Harry Kane has 15 goal contribtions in 8 Bundesliga stars, so if this list were just about the numbers alone without considering strength of schedule, narrative, or role, Kane would be No. 1. He has been insane.
1. Real Madrid CF Kylian Mbappe
But because Kylian Mbappe plays for the mighty Real Madrid and has better dribbling statistics than Kane because he gets to play wide and be an even more active No. 9, the Frenchman gets the nod.
Of course, with 13 goal contributions in 10 starts, Mbappe has the numbers, too, and he’s running away with the Pichichi in a much, much more defensive league in La Liga.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.