European Football Stars Shine in February: Player of the Month Awards
The Alofoke Deportes Player of the Month award, in its fourth edition, continues to recognize the most outstanding footballers from the five most important European leagues. After previous editions in October, November, December, and January, the distinction now celebrates the figures of February.
The selection format remains: three journalists from Alofoke Deportes, from different countries, vote for the players with the best performance in each league. Each expert chooses their three favorites, awarding 10 points to the first, 5 to the second, and 3 to the third. The maximum possible for a player is 30 points if everyone chooses them as the best.
In case of a tie, the tie-breaking criterion is the number of first-place votes.
Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane: Dominance in Spain and Germany
In LaLiga, there was no discussion. Lamine Yamal, from Barcelona, was chosen as the best by all voters for the second consecutive month, solidifying his position as the most outstanding player in Spain.
Harry Kane, from Bayern Munich, also shone brightly, scoring eight goals in just four Bundesliga matches.
Federico Dimarco and Bradley Barcola: Surprises in Italy and France
In Serie A, an unexpected figure surpassed the established forwards and was unanimously chosen as the league’s best player for the first time.
In addition, Alofoke Deportes also selected the stars of Ligue 1 and the Premier League.
Ligue 1: Bradley Barcola
Forward | Paris Saint-Germain and France | 23 years old | 18 points
The winger was fundamental for PSG to win four of their five Ligue 1 matches in February. He scored in the 3-0 victory over Metz and also scored the winning goal in the 1-0 triumph against Le Havre, important results that put the Parisians at the top of the table with 57 points, four more than Lens, who are in second place.
Second place: Folarin Balogun: Forward, AS Monaco (16 points)
Third place: Denis Zakaria: Midfielder, AS Monaco (10 points)
Bundesliga: Harry Kane
Forward | Bayern Munich and England | 32 years old | 30 pointsKane is simply unstoppable in the German league. It’s no coincidence that the number 9 was voted the best Bundesliga player by all voters. The Englishman scored two goals in each match he played in February, scoring eight goals in just four matches.
Thanks to Kane’s goals, Bayern won all their matches that month against Hoffenheim (5-1), Werder Bremen (3-0), Eintracht Frankfurt (3-2) and Borussia Dortmund (3-2). The Bavarian team leads the league with 63 points, 11 more than Dortmund. If the Englishman can repeat his performance in March, we could be talking about them winning the title.
Second place: Deniz Undav: Forward, Stuttgart (8 points)
Third place: (tie) Alexis Claude-Maurice: Midfielder, Augsburg and Yan Diomande: Forward, RB Leipzig (5 points)
Serie A: Federico Dimarco
Defense | Internazionale and Italy | 29 years old | 30 points
Inter played five Serie A matches in February and won them all. The Nerazzurri defeated Cremonese (2-0), Sassuolo (5-0), Juventus (3-2), Lecce (2-0) and Genoa (2-0). This run of matches helped the club pull away at the top of the table, where they have 67 points, 10 ahead of their biggest rival, AC Milan.
Dimarco was a starter in all these victories and became a key player. He even scored in the most recent victory against Genoa, which makes him the only player topping this ranking who doesn’t play in an offensive position, but his selection was unanimous.
Second place: Donyell Malen: Forward, AS Roma (10 points)
Third place: Nico Paz: Midfielder, Como (5 points)
LaLiga: Lamine Yamal
Right Winger | Barcelona and Spain | 18 years old | 30 points
The best player of February in LaLiga had a clear winner: Lamine Yamal. Barcelona’s number 10 was chosen as the best player by the three voters in the Alofoke Deportes ranking, repeating his January award. At only 18 years old, he is already proving that he has everything it takes to do incredible things in 2026.
The winger started the month with a goal in the 3-0 victory over Mallorca, although he then failed to score in the 2-1 defeat against Girona and in the 3-0 victory against Levante. His greatest achievement came on the last day: Saturday 28th, when against Villarreal, he scored his first hat-trick of his professional career.
Second place: Vinícius Júnior: Forward, Real Madrid (8 points)
Third place: (tie) Antony, Forward, Real Betis and Fer López: Midfielder, Celta Vigo (5 points)
Premier League: Benjamin Sesko
Manchester United and Slovenia | 22 years old | 20 points
If Sesko is on the field, Manchester United fans can maintain hope for a positive result. The striker’s performances in February demonstrate this.
In the first match of the month, his dramatic added-time goal secured a 3-2 victory over Fulham. He then scored again against Tottenham Hotspur, this time coming off the bench, and against West Ham United, he entered the match and scored a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw.
The striker replicated his form in the last game of February, scoring the winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Everton, earning him the Alofoke Deportes Player of the Month award.
Second place: Bruno Fernandes: Midfielder, Manchester United (10 points)
Third place: Viktor Gyökeres, Forward, Arsenal (10 points)
