Ranking the 25 best Serie A players of the 2025/26 season so far

Milan—After a brief flirtation with goal-glutted spectacles, Serie A has snapped back to its defensive DNA, and the league’s elite have followed suit. Inter Milan’s iron spine, Roma’s resurgent rearguard and a cluster of breakout keepers dominate our mid-season list of the competition’s top 25 performers, with only a sprinkling of attacking luminaries cracking the upper tier.

Goalkeepers rule the roost. Como’s Jean Butez, 30, trails only Roma’s Mile Svilar in save percentage (81.3%) and leads Europe’s big-five leagues with clean sheets in more than half of his starts, lifting Cesc Fabregas’ modest side into mid-table security. Svilar, 26, tops the charts at 83.5% saves and 45.8% clean-sheet rate, his leaping stops already cult-viewing on social media. Cremonese’s Emil Audero, resurrected after a Serie B detour, ranks fifth in save percentage and posts a shut-out every third match despite the league’s flimsiest shield. Atalanta’s Marco Carnesecchi stakes a claim as the best gloveman in Bergamo history, his reflexes and distribution anchoring Gian Piero Gasperini’s European-chasing side.

Defenders occupy 14 of the 25 slots. Inter’s trio of Francesco Acerbi (95% passing), Alessandro Bastoni and Yan Bisseck headline the group; Bisseck allows 0.2 successful dribbles per game on the right while providing progressive thrust. Gleison Bremer continues to personify the black-and-blue bulldozer, rarely tackling because no one escapes his marking. Roma’s Gianluca Mancini has trimmed the recklessness of old into controlled chaos—1.8 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 0.4 dribbles allowed—and forms the league’s stingiest partnership with Svilar. Napoli’s Amir Rrahmani, 31, attempts 20 more passes per match than any teammate and concedes 0.1 dribbles, eclipsing last season’s MVP partner Alessandro Buongiorno. Como’s 21-year-old Jacobo Ramon averages three combined tackles and interceptions, chips in two goals and, alongside Spanish compatriot Alex Valle, offers a glimpse of a future Spain back-line.

Midfield mastery comes from veterans reborn. Luka Modric, 40, is Milan’s outfield engine: 1.7 key passes, 2.8 defensive actions and five goal contributions keep the Rossoneri in the Champions League places. Partner Adrien Rabiot, reunited with Max Allegri, has four goals, four assists and leads all box-to-box men in tackles (1.8) and fouls drawn (1.6) per 90. Napoli’s Scott McTominay, last year’s MVP, has cooled slightly but still contributes nine goal involvements and draws two fouls a game while shielding the defence. Inter regista Hakan Calhanoglu tops midfield scoring with seven goals, dictating tempo and adding defensive bite for the table-toppers.

Wing-back excellence arrives in two flavours. Roma’s Wesley, 22, signed from Brazil’s top flight, has three goals, a team-high two tackles and more than a key pass per match on either flank. Milan’s Alexis Saelemaekers, redeployed as a two-way right-sided dynamo, averages three combined tackles and interceptions, 1.3 key passes and nearly four dribbles-plus-fouls drawn, emerging as the club’s primary ball-winner and progressor.

Forwards face an uphill battle for recognition in this year’s list. Inter’s Marcus Thuram has seven goals, 1.1 key passes and 1.4 fouls drawn, sharing the stage with emerging strike partner Ange-Yoan Bonny. Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere, converted to a false-nine, posts 2.1 key passes and 2.0 dribbles per match despite only three goals and three assists; underlying metrics insist the Belgian remains among the league’s most complete attackers. Como’s Nico Paz, the runaway favourite for Player of the Season, supplies the flair, but the final third is otherwise left to fend for itself against a tidal wave of defensive brilliance.

As the league pauses for the winter, the message is clear: if you want goals, look elsewhere; if you want defensive clinics, Serie A remains the masterclass.