Who are AC Milan’s best players right now in 2025?
5. RW Christian Pulisic
Although a certain segment of Serie A fans hailing from a certain country will overrate Christian Pulisic and bloviate about how he’s a better player than Rafael Leao despite having a fraction of the Portuguese international’s ability, there’s no questioning the fact that Pulisic is one of the best wingers in Serie A in his own right and is capable of outplaying his left-sided teammate for stretches.
Pulisic has gone from overhyped Dortmund prospect and inconsistent Chelsea rotational piece to one of the best attacking players in Serie A and someone AC Milan can legitimately build their team around.
He’s also become more unselfish in Italian football, improving as a passer and creator with a superior work rate to what he showed at Chelsea, where he was an underdeveloped and one-dimensional player who relied on an inflated sense of his own physical tools.
If five seems low for Pulisic, I don’t blame you for thinking that, because he’s been exceptional this season and is a very good footballer. It’s just that the four players ahead of him on this list are more talented and even more important to Milan’s success.
4. AM Tijani Reijnders
There are many times when Tijani Rejinders has looked like the best player on AC Milan during the 2024/25 season, and while we still need more time before we can put him above the triumvirate ranked ahead of him on this list, I have no question in my mind that the Rossoneri would be in a lot worse shape this season if Reijnders didn’t exist.
The talented Dutch international looked like a breakout star heading into the current campaign, and he’s more than lived up to expectations as an excellent modern-day playmaker who can come up big with goals and assists while never shirking his lunchpail duties on the ball and in defense.
Rejinders is one of the few things the RedBird group has gotten right since their malignant takeover in 2023. His nine goals tie Pulisic for the team lead so far in the 2024/25 season.
3. GK Mike Maignan
Although Mike Maignan’s status has cooled off lately because of a few mistakes in goal and the rise of Yann Sommer and Inter Milan and now Michele Di Gregorio at Juventus, in a way, he’s only the victim of comparison because of the constantly improving state of goalkeeping in Italian football.
Because when you compare Maignan across European football, he’s still one of the best around in his position, and there are times when he saves Milan from sure defeat with his pure talent in goal.
2. LW Rafael Leao
Rafael Leao gets slagged so much in the media, including by washed-up Italian figureheads over yesteryear who were even more disappointing than Leao as professionals (oh hello, Antonio “Nutella” Cassano), that you’d think Leao would be lower on a list of an AC Milan squad ranking than Luka Jovic or Yunus Musah.
But Leao is either 1a or 1b on the list of the best Milan players in 2025, and he’s only criticized so heavily because he’s so good. I mean, if Leao were just some average footballer like Yann Karamoh who turned in a 5/10 against Atalanta when everyone else stunk even worse, people would just mention the game once.
Because Leao is a former Serie A MVP who lifted an attack on his back to the club’s first Scudetto in more than a decade, any time he even turns in a 6/10, you get all these decrepit pundits coming out of the woodwork like termites to give their take.
Leao is by far Milan’s leader in dribbles per game and fouls per game won while tying Pulisic for the team lead in assists. He is a world-class player by any reasonable standard and has already been literally the best player in this league before.
1. LB Theo Hernandez
The best left back in the world, Theo Hernandez has come a long way since failing at keep-ups at his Real Madrid presentation to developing into the most complete attacking threat at his position.
You can’t find a better modern day example of a left back than Theo, who has scored solo goals from his own half and bangers from outside the box. He is a creative maestro at the position and a tank-like workhorse who isn’t afraid to chop down attackers.
In a vaccum, I’d say that Leao is a better player than Theo, but because of positional scarcity and consistency (when he’s not being coached by a miserable oaf), I’d put Hernandez just slightly ahead of the left winger he works with. He’s become wiser and more well-rounded with age.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.