Bayern Munich duo Harry Kane and Michael Olise, Barcelona stars Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, and Real Madrid‘s Kylian Mbappe have all made flying starts to the 2026-27 season. But who has been the standout player?

Yamal is going about it the right way, with exceptional output for both Spain and Barcelona.

While Kane hasn’t quite picked up where he left off for Bayern Munich, it’s his recent form for England that really catches the eye.

Six goals and an assist in four Nations League outings, including braces against Croatia and Czechia, helped kickstart a remarkable run that’s seen him rack up 16 goals and 12 assists in just 19 appearances for club and country. He’s now averaging a goal contribution every 55 minutes.

Mbappe has been remarkably consistent for Real Madrid, taking his tally to 18 goals and three assists in 17 appearances for club and country. He also found the net in France’s Nations League victory over Turkey, before picking up an injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the break.

Meanwhile, Raphinha – who isn’t even on the shortlist for the 2026 award – boasts the best goalscoring ratio of the lot. The Brazilian has registered 20 goals and four assists in 15 appearances for club and country, averaging a goal every 57 minutes and a goal contribution every 47 minutes.

Yamal, meanwhile, has 30 goal contributions, registering 17 goals and a chart-topping 13 assists in 20 appearances.

We’ve compared the stats of the five early frontrunners for the 2027 Ballon d’Or.

Minutes per goal: 97.3
Minutes per goal or assist: 55.6

Minutes per goal: 91
Minutes per goal or assist: 58.2

15
20 ⭐
4
24

Minutes per goal: 57.4 ⭐
Minutes per goal or assist: 47.8 ⭐

20⭐
17
13 ⭐
30 ⭐

Minutes per goal: 96.2
Minutes per goal or assist: 54.5

Minutes per goal: 82.8
Minutes per goal or assist: 71

READ NEXT: 2027 Ballon d’Or Power Rankings: Michael Olise giving Yamal, Raphinha serious competition…

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