10 Players Set to Ignite European Football in 2025/26

The new European football season is barely underway, but the stories are already rolling in. Big names are seeking redemption. Young stars are stepping up. It is like every league has come back to life. This year, it isn't just the trophies that are the focus, it's the players that have the potential to change everything. From Madrid to Milan, from London to Paris, these are the ten footballers who are expected to define the 2025/26 season.

Latest Developments in Football Across Europe

The first few weeks of the season have been interesting early pace in each of the major leagues. Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City have made a good start to the English Premier League and Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have shown the potential to challenge for the top group.

In La Liga, Barcelona continued the momentum of a brilliant season last season, but Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad have also been competitive in the opening matches. In Italy, Inter Milan, Napoli and Juventus have all demonstrated early stability, while in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich have once again become the standard after last week's big win.

Changes in early results and individual performances are beginning to make a big impact not only on the rankings of the leagues, but also on the world analytics market. Interestingly, betting websites in Malaysia also showed huge movements in the odds for some of the key results, with Liverpool (1.55) retaining the favourites position against Aston Villa (5.10), and Arsenal (1.45) more reliable than Crystal Palace (7.20). In terms of the player category, Kylian Mbappe (2.40), Ousmane Dembele (3.20) and Florian Wirtz (5.50) had the biggest swings.

Kylian Mbappe - Real Madrid Next Chapter

Mbappe's first year in Madrid has produced fireworks, 44 goals and a Golden Boot, but not the trophies he craves. For a man of his position, that's not enough. This season is like his own, his mission, to make Real Madrid his team, not just the one he joined.

Under Xabi Alonso, Madrid play in sharper tactical balance. Mbappe now drifts wider and creates chaos with freedom and not rigidly. If he manages to turn that individual brilliance into collective success, Europe could soon be his playground again.

Ousmane Dembele - From Fragile Talent to Fearless Leader

For years, Dembele was the "what if" of football. Now, after delivering 35 goals and leading PSG to their first Champions League, he's finally the finished product. The tricks are still there but they're supported by decision-making and drive.

Alongside Desire Doue, he now heads a rebuilt PSG attack that looks hungry rather than hollow. Dembele's mission is simple: To make one historic season the basis of an era.

Florian Wirtz - The German Beat at Anfield

Liverpool didn't just purchase a player when they bought Florian Wirtz, they purchased a new identity. The 22-year-old comes from Leverkusen as the heart of the Bundesliga, elegant, fearless, relentlessly efficient.

He doesn't play fast for the sake of playing fast. Instead, he slows time in midfield, making decisions before the defenders can react. If he can quickly adapt to the tempo of the English game then he could be the difference between Liverpool competing and genuinely contending.

Viktor Gyokeres - The Missing Link of Arsenal

For all the beauty of Arsenal last season, they had no cold-blooded finisher. Enter Viktor Gyokeres, 39 goals in Portugal and a history of bullying defenders into submission.

He’s not flashy. He’s ruthless. And that's just what Arsenal have needed. Arteta's system provides him with service; Gyokeres the end product. If that connection clicks, Arsenal's title ambitions will ring in the ears with less of a sense of hope and more of a sense of inevitability.

Cole Palmer - The Peace in the Storm

At Chelsea, chaos is never too far away. But in the face of constant rebuilding, Cole Palmer has become the one thing that makes sense. Twenty-two goals in his first season silenced anyone who was questioning his move from Manchester City.

Palmer is not the loudest on the pitch, he lets his touches do the talking. With more structure around him this year, he may quietly craft a season that makes him go from promising to pivotal.

Raphinha - the Barcelona Relentless Engine

While the spotlight was on Lamine Yamal, Raphinha was quietly taking Barcelona from one challenge to the next last season. Thirty-four goals and 25 assists and a work rate that never dipped.

He's not a winger anymore, he's the beat of Barcelona's attack. Xavi relies on him to calm the team down when flair is not enough. If he maintains that balance, he may be the unsung hero behind Barcelona's European comeback.

Lamine Yamal - The Teen With the Weight of a Giant

Hard to believe Yamal is still a teenager. European champion with Spain, treble winner with Barcelona and already the player every defender dreads facing.

It is not his skill that distinguishes him, it is his clarity. Every touch is purposeful, every movement is one step ahead. This season, he doesn't want moments of magic, he wants the ownership of the biggest stage.

Desire Doue - The Quiet Revolution at PSG

When Doue came to PSG, there was little outside France to expect much. Sixteen goals later, including two in the Champions League final, he's not that much of a surprise anymore.

There is an infectious energy to his performance and his decision-making is better each week. With Dembele at his side, Doue might be the symbol of PSG's long awaited changing of guard, from a group of stars to an actual team.

Christian Pulisic-The Comeback Blueprint in Milan

Pulisic's transfer to AC Milan gave a new impetus to his career. Freed from rotation and talk of injuries, he responded with his most productive season so far.

Now, no European distractions, he has one thing in mind, bring the Scudetto back to San Siro. He's in better shape, sharper and playing with a confidence that is infectious. If he continues this, his story may become less of a redemption story, and more of a reinvention story.

Jobe Bellingham - Dortmund's New Dynamo

At the age of 19, Jobe Bellingham has already traded the pitch of the Championship in England for one of the grandest stages in Europe. The famous No.7 shirt at Dortmund is his now and he wears it like he was born for it.

Composed, crisp and calm, he's no copy of his brother Jude, he's writing his own chapter. Early signs are that he could be the heart of a new Dortmund based on youth and grit.

The Season That Brings Promises

Every year, Europe produces new heroes. Some that were expected, and some that came out of nowhere. What makes this season fascinating is that there are so many players coming into it with something to prove, not just talent to show off.

Mbappe wants to be a leader, not a goalscorer. Yamal wants to define a generation. Wirtz wants to prove that German finesse can rule English chaos. And somewhere in between, new stars will emerge, old ones will disappear, and the continent will again remind us why football never sleeps.

Published by Patrick Jane
24.10.2025