The ESPN Player of the Month award, now in its fourth edition, recognizes the most outstanding players from the top five European leagues. The format, which has already featured editions in October, November, December and January, now honors the stars of February.
In LaLiga, there’s no comparison. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal was unbeatable, as he was chosen as the best by all voters for the second consecutive month, guaranteeing his status as the best that Spain has to offer.
Harry Kane of Bayern Munich also dominated, scoring eight goals in just four Bundesliga matches.
In Serie A, a dark horse outshone the established strikers and was unanimously chosen as the league’s best player for the first time.
In addition, ESPN also selected the stars of Ligue 1 and the Premier League, respectively.
How does it work?
It’s quite simple: Three ESPN journalists from different countries vote for the best performing players in each league. Every month, each expert chooses their top three players from that league. Third place gets three points, the second gets five, and the first gets 10. So, the maximum a player can achieve is 30 points if all three select him as the best player of the month in that league.
In the case of a tie, the criterion to decide the best was the number of first-place votes.
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Forward | Paris Saint-Germain and France | 23 years old | 18 points
The winger was instrumental in PSG winning four of their five Ligue 1 matches in February.
He scored in the 3-0 victory over Metz and also scored the winning goal in the 1-0 win against Le Havre, important results that put the Parisians at the top of the table with 57 points, four more than second-place Lens.
Second place:
‐ Folarin Balogun: FW, AS Monaco (16 points)
Third place:
‐ Denis Zakaria: MF, AS Monaco (10 points)
Forward | Bayern Munich and England | 32 years old | 30 points
Kane is simply too much for the German league. It’s no coincidence that the No. 9 was voted the Bundesliga’s best player by all the voters. The Englishman scored two goals in every single match he played in February, netting in eight goals in just four games.
Thanks to Kane’s goals, Bayern won all their matches that month against Hoffenheim (5-1), Werder Bremen (3-0), Eintracht Frankfurt (3-2), and Borussia Dortmund (3-2).
The Bavarian side leads the league with 63 points, 11 more than Dortmund. If the Englishman can replicate his performance in March, we could be talking about them winning the title.
Second place:
‐ Deniz Undav: FW, Stuttgart (8 points)
Third place:
‐ (tie) Alexis Claude-Maurice: MF, Augsburg
‐ Yan Diomande: FW, RB Leipzig (5 points)
Defender | Internazionale and Italy | 29 years old | 30 points
Inter played five Serie A matches in February and won them all. The Nerazzurri defeated Cremonese (2-0), Sassuolo (5-0), Juventus (3-2), Lecce (2-0), and Genoa (2-0). This stretch of matches helped the club pull away at the top of the table, where they have 67 points, 10 ahead of their biggest rival, AC Milan.
Dimarco started in all of these victories and emerged as a key player. He even scored in the most recent win against Genoa, making him the only player to top this ranking who doesn’t play in an attacking position, but his selection was unanimous.
Second place:
‐ Donyell Malen: FW, AS Roma (10 points)
Third place:
‐ Nico Paz: MF, Como (5 points)
Right Winger | Barcelona and Spain | 18 years old | 30 points
The best player in February in LaLiga had a clear winner: Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona No. 10 was selected as the best player by all three voters in ESPN’s ranking, repeating his January award. At just 18 years old, he’s already showing he has everything it takes to do amazing things in 2026.
The winger started the month with a goal in the 3-0 victory over Mallorca, although he then failed to score in the 2-1 defeat to Girona and the 3-0 win against Levante. His crowning achievement came on the final day: Saturday the 28th, when against Villarreal, he scored his first hat trick of his professional career.
Second place:
‐ Vinícius Júnior: FW, Real Madrid (8 points)
Third place:
‐ (tie) Antony, FW, Real Betis (5 points)
‐ Fer López: MF, Celta Vigo (5 points)
Manchester United and Slovenia | 22 years old | 20 points
If Sesko is on the pitch, Manchester United fans can remain hopeful for a positive result. The striker’s performances in February certainly demonstrate this.
In the first match of the month, his dramatic stoppage-time goal secured a 3-2 victory over Fulham. He then scored again against Tottenham Hotspur — this time coming off the bench — and against West Ham United, he entered the game and scored a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw.
The striker repeated his form in the final match of February, scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Everton, which earned him ESPN’s Player of the Month award.
Second place:
‐ Bruno Fernandes: MF, Manchester United (10 points)
Third place:
– Viktor Gyökeres, FW, Arsenal (10 points)
