A new king of the global game was crowned at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, with Bayern Munich's Harry Kane becoming the latest name to follow in the footsteps of football icons including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the most prestigious individual prize of all.

Kane, 33, continues to find the back of the net at an impressive rate, netting 10 times in 15 appearances for Bayern this season, in addition to coming up with 10 assists.

Kane pipped the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to become the latest first-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, but does that make the England international the current best player in the world in our eyes?

Here, Sports Mole casts its vote for the 10 greatest active footballers on the planet right now.

Few players illustrate just how much the game has changed over the past decade or so than Hakimi, whose attacking ability from right-back was a leading factor in Paris Saint-Germain finally ending their Champions League hoodoo in 2025 and then winning it again one year later.

Hakimi is the best full-back in world football and therefore had to make this list, as his form has been so important to back-to-back Champions League winners PSG.

Dembele is currently on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, but it would have been incredibly harsh to leave him out of this list given his standing in the game.

The France international has scored four goals and registered six assists in 10 appearances for PSG this term, and he will be vital to their chances of glory once again in 2026-27.

Haaland's overall performance level has been criticised in the early months of the 2026-27 campaign, but he has still come up with 14 goals in 14 appearances.

The Norway international is now on 176 goals and 30 assists in 212 appearances for Man City, with the 26-year-old simply a goal machine.

However, Man City's off-the-field issues could lead to his departure sooner rather than later.

7: Declan Rice

Arsenal simply must have one representative in the top-10 list considering their form this season, and their indomitable midfield metronome gets the nod.

Perhaps the best compliment one can pay Declan Rice is that no-one is talking about his transfer fee as a waste of money, as the England international has been worth every penny of the £105m that Arsenal spent on him.

Devastating from any dead-ball situation, an unrelenting ball carrier and reliable in front of goal when the opportunity presents itself, Rice has helped elevate Arsenal to new levels.

6: Vitinha

Vitinha has played a vital role in Paris Saint-Germain winning back-to-back Champions League titles, and he is arguably the biggest midfield talent in world football.

Few can dictate a match in the way that the 26-year-old can, and his performances during the 2026-27 campaign have once again been of an incredibly high level.

5: Raphinha

Raphinha has been in incredible form for Barcelona this season, scoring 19 goals and registering three assists in 14 appearances in all competitions.

The Brazil international has thrived operating as a central attacker during the 2026-27 campaign, and there is no question that he is deserving of a spot in the top five of this particular list.

4: Jude Bellingham

What an incredible talent Jude Bellingham is.

There were question marks surrounding just how good he is ahead of the 2026 World Cup, but he had an outstanding tournament for England.

The 23-year-old has scored five goals and registered four assists in 16 appearances for Real Madrid this season.

3: Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe has an incredible record of 103 goals and 15 assists in 119 appearances for Real Madrid following his move to Bernabeu from Paris Saint-Germain.

The 27-year-old has also netted 67 goals in 107 caps for France.

Mbappe's trophy cabinet since arriving at Real Madrid is the biggest disappointment and keeps him from being first or second here, but the attacker is an exceptional talent.

2: Harry Kane

Where would Bayern Munich be without Harry Kane?

The England captain has been a revelation at Bayern since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, scoring a total of 156 goals and providing 43 assists in 162 appearances across all tournaments, with 102 of those strikes netted in just 103 Bundesliga matches.

Kane won the Bundesliga Golden Boot in his first two seasons with the German giants, and he recently secured the Ballon d'Or crown.

1: Lamine Yamal

While not the recipient of the Ballon d’Or, there is only one player who can currently top this list, and it is Barcelona’s number 10: teenage superstar Lamine Yamal.

Making his Barca debut at 15, and becoming a regular at 16, Yamal is now 19, and his overall record for the Catalan giants stands at 62 goals and 64 assists in 176 appearances.

Yamal has won the European Championship and World Cup for Spain, and there is little doubting that he is currently the best player in world football.