Spain lifted the trophy but the tournament belonged to more than one man — a Golden Ball-winning midfielder, a 39-year-old chasing the fairytale, the all-time leading scorer and a teenage sensation. Who was the true star of the 2026 World Cup? Cast your vote!
1Jude BellinghamEngland's talismanic midfielder and a best-XI selection.1000pts
2RodriSpain's midfield general won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.999pts
3Pau CubarsiSpain's teenage defender named the tournament's Best Young Player.999pts
4Harry KaneEngland's captain and record scorer leading the line up front.789pts
5Lionel MessiArgentina's 39-year-old icon took the Silver Ball on his last World Cup.789pts
6Erling HaalandNorway's goal-machine leading their attack on the world stage.684pts
7Kevin De BruyneBelgium's creative leader on his final World Cup, driving their run to the quarter-finals.684pts
8Kylian MbappeFrance's superstar won the Golden Boot with ten goals and took the Bronze Ball.684pts
9Lamine YamalSpain's teenage sensation whose dribbling and fearlessness transformed the champions.684pts
10Ferran TorresScored the extra-time winner in the final to seal Spain's title.560pts
11PedriSpain's elegant orchestrator who controlled midfield throughout the run to glory.410pts
12Vinicius JuniorBrazil's electric winger and one of the tournament's most dangerous attackers.410pts
13Cole PalmerEngland's ice-cool creator who produced key moments in the knockouts.0pts
14Unai SimonSpain's goalkeeper won the Golden Glove for the best tournament between the posts.0pts
Comments 1
Every position at the same tournament, and the whole thing came down to one goal against Argentina in extra time: https://youpick.best/articles/how-many-ways-to-rank-kevin-de-bruyne https://youpick.best/articles/lionel-messi-ranked-many-ways
YP
ypb-teamAug 21
