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, and December, now honors the stars of January, kicking off the 2026 calendar year.
In Ligue 1, Brazil international Endrick has only played two games with Lyon, but that was enough for him to take first place.
In the Premier League, another Brazilian topped the podium: Brentford‘s Igor Thiago. The striker outperformed the stars of the league and deserved his top spot, where he scored five goals.
In LaLiga, Barcelona‘s young star Lamine Yamal was crowned for the first time. The Spanish striker’s best finish to date had been third place in November.
In addition, ESPN also selected the stars of Serie A and Bundesliga, 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 | Lyon and Brazil | 19 years old | 20 points
The French league has a new sensation: Endrick. The Brazilian made his Ligue 1 debut for Lyon on Jan. 18 and has already been named Player of the Month, despite having played only two matches.
In the first match, against Brest, he provided an assist in their 2-1 victory. In the second, he was decisive in the 5-2 thrashing of Metz, scoring a hat trick.
Loaned by Real Madrid to the French team for the remainder of the season, Endrick did not feel the pressure of being at a new club and already seems quite comfortable, eager to show Carlo Ancelotti that he deserves to be called up by the Brazil national team.
Lyon fans are excited about what the 19-year-old can still do for the club.
Second place:
‐ Ousmane Dembélé: FW, Paris Saint-Germain (20 points)
Third place:
‐ (tie) Martial Godo: FW, Strasbourg
‐ Wesley Saïd: FW, Lens
‐ Pavel Sulc: MF, Lyon (3 points)
Winger | Bayern Munich and France | 24 years old | 23 points
The standout player in the Bundesliga in January was Michael Olise, the Bayern Munich attacking midfielder.
In five matches, the Frenchman scored three goals and provided eight assists. He contributed to the team in every game as Bayern won three matches, lost one, and drew one.
It’s no surprise that Bayern leads the league with 51 points, ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who are in second with 45. Olise has been performing well since last year. In December, he finished third in ESPN’s Player of the Month voting.
The Frenchman is 24 years old and was signed by the German club in mid-2024 from Crystal Palace in England.
Second place:
‐ Andrej Kramaric: FW, Hoffenheim (15 points)
Third place:
‐ Alexis Claude-Maurice: FW, Augsburg (10 points)
Center Forward | Internazionale and Argentina | 28 years old | 20 points
In Serie A, Lautaro Martínez stood out. The Inter striker caught everyone’s attention, accumulating 20 points and being named Player of the Month.
Inter, leading the league with 55 points, played six matches in January, winning five and drawing one. Martínez scored three goals, finding the net against Bologna, Udinese, and Pisa.
The Argentine player is 28 years old and is a key player for the club, where he has been since 2018, coming from Racing Club.
Second place:
‐ Mike Maignan: GK, AC Milan (13 points)
Third place:
‐ Federico Dimarco: DF, Inter (10 points)
Right Winger | Barcelona and Spain | 18 years old | 20 points
It took a while, but after three consecutive appearances on the ESPN’s Player of the Month podium, Lamine Yamal finally earned his place as LaLiga’s standout player for January. The young Spaniard, at just 18 years old, has long been a player to watch, and he proved it in the first month of 2026.
In four matches, he scored two goals and provided one assist. He scored against Real Oviedo in a 3-0 victory and against Elche in a 3-1 win.
Yamal accumulated 20 out of a possible 30 points in the ESPN-organized poll. The No. 10’s performances helped Barcelona lead LaLiga with 55 points, one more than their rival, Real Madrid, who have 54.
Second place:
‐ Mikel Oyarzabal: FW, Real Sociedad (18 points)
Third place:
‐ Kylian Mbappé: FW, Real Madrid (8 points)
Brentford and Brazil | 24 years old | 20 points
A Brazilian shines in the Premier League!
Brentford striker Igor Thiago was the star of January in the league. At 24 years old, he has caught the eye and is the second-highest scorer in the competition with 16 goals, only behind Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland with 20.
In Brentford’s five matches, Igor Thiago scored two goals. He scored a hat trick in the 4-2 win against Everton and two more goals in the 3-0 victory against Sunderland.
Much of the team’s campaign, which has them in seventh place with 36 points, is due to the performance of Igor Thiago. Discovered by Verê, from Paraná, and made his professional debut with Cruzeiro, the Brazilian played for Ludogorets Razgrad in Bulgaria and Club Brugge in Belgium before joining the English club in 2024.
His performances have led to him being closely followed by Ancelotti’s coaching staff in search of a place in the Brazil national team.
Second place:
‐ Antoine Semenyo: FW, Bournemouth/Manchester City (13 points)
Third place:
– Florian Wirtz, MF, Liverpool (8 points)
