“Who is the best player in the Premier League? It’s a simple question with a complicated answer — one that The Athleticwill continue to attempt to answer throughout the 2026-27 season. This is the second instalment of our Premier League Player Rankings, in which we use form, data and the eye tests of Phil Hay and Tim Spiers to assess exactly who the division’s top 50 footballers are. After starting in August on the eve of the new season, our article will be updated every month and, while any list is subjective, we were quietly smug that our initial top five choices were the only five from the Premier League to be nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or. If any of the below picks outrage you, by all means, head to the comments, but have a gander at the full list first and tell us who should miss out instead of your pick, because the competition for inclusion is fierce. Right, to the rankings! …”
NYT/ATH (Video)