NEW ISSUE: The top 50 Premier League players ranked! Palermo’s resurgence, Morgan Rogers and Nico Williams, Hearts’ title tilt, World Cup play-offs previewed, plus Marcelo Q&A

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First a message from our editor, James Andrew:

With January underway and 20 Premier League matchdays played, it was beginning to look as though the season was done and dusted. Nottingham Forest had just beaten West Ham to open up a seven-point gap between the two sides, while at the top, Arsenal were six points clear of Manchester City.

The fear was it could be a procession until May, with very little changing in the positions in the table that really mattered. By mid-February though, West Ham and Manchester City had narrowed those respective gaps to remind us once more that nothing is ever certain in the Premier League, before we reach the business end of the season in April and May.

In this issue of the magazine, we celebrate the footballers who make the English top flight the exciting and unpredictable league it is, as we rank the very best 50 players of the 2025-26 campaign.

There will be those who say that it’s always the same players in the list every year, but think again. Of last year’s top 10, only three even make the top 50 this time around, such has been the emergence of new stars from Aston Villa, Brentford, Sunderland and Fulham, to name just a few.

Of course, if you don’t agree with our list, then jump on social media and tell us what we’ve got wrong, but make sure you use #FFTPL50.

Enjoy the mag, and the twists and turns during the season’s run-in.

James

The top 50 Premier League players

FourFourTwo ranks the finest performers of 2025-26, from an expert drummer to a future NBA star.

The fall and rise of Palermo

Having dropped to the fourth tier in 2019, Palermo are pushing for a Serie A return after joining the City Football Group – FFT flew to the north Sicilian coast to meet boss Filippo Inzaghi, and hear why Colonel Gaddafi once tried to tempt the club to Africa.

World Cup play-offs guide

The last six places at this summer’s tournament are up for grabs this month – watch out for the unofficial world champs, a Pacific Ocean archipelago, plus a former Manchester United coach in Iraq.

Hearts’ bid to unseat Celtic and Rangers

Without a league title since 1960, the Jambos have a real chance of finishing top of the Scottish Premiership podium this term – FFT discovers how smart management and a renowned recruitment guru caught both the Old Firm giants by surprise.

The Boy’s A Bit Special

Our latest scouting report rates Newcastle’s rising star and a player born just after Zidane’s headbutt.

FFT meets Nico Williams

The winger was in huge demand after netting in Spain’s Euro 2024 final win over England, only to sign a new 10-year deal at Athletic Bilbao. FFT flew to the Basque Country to meet him, hear why he has no regrets, and discover his father’s surprise Chelsea past.

From the vault

England’s 1-0 defeat to the United States at the 1950 World Cup went down as an upset for the ages – but the dishwashing striker who scored the winning goal that day met with a terrible end.

Marcelo answers YOUR questions

The former Real Madrid full-back ponders trading Champions League glory for a World Cup win and opens up about that 7-1 defeat to Germany.

Around the grounds in the EFL, non-league and Scotland

Francis Jeffers on being Robbie Fowler’s no.2 in Saudi Arabia and helping Macclesfield to an FA Cup upset against Crystal Palace.

The secret manager: Some Premier League stars look to bag coaching jobs at the top, but Dave Kitson has chosen a very different path.

A Dunfermline Athletic fan recalls an AWOL Moroccan and Victor Wanyama’s woeful debut in Best & Worst, while Ben Foster tells us about YouTube stardom and interviewing Robbie Williams.

Falling fowl of fans: Why 16 years under the ownership of Venky’s has clipped the wings of hope for Blackburn’s dwindling support.

The Mixer

This month’s top merch includes a trio of musical collabs, shoes for pundits and Paolo Maldini’s dad swagger.

Learn about the Goldie Lookin Chain link-up that got Newport County in hot water with our latest Classic Kit feature, then check out our top book, TV and comedy recommendations.

Upfront

Test your knowledge of German playmakers and penalty misses in our Quiz, and discover which European stadiums TNT Sports presenter Jules Breach adores.

Theo Walcott picks out the games that changed his life, Jorn Andersen tells us about coaching North Korea and living in the secretive state, and Cast frontman John Power explains why terrace choirs aren’t what they used to be.

We also find out why Erling Haaland’s old club are handing out increasingly eccentric man of the match prizes and look back on the night Peter Schmeichel halted Newcastle’s Entertainers.

In the Players Lounge this month…

Alex McLeish laments Birmingham’s missed open-top bus opportunity, Saul Niguez’s Champions League heartbreak and a long-awaited 1966 World Cup medal for Liverpool legend Ian Callaghan.

Perfect XI

Former Manchester United, Leeds and England winger Lee Sharpe hails a dirty finisher and a “snail-batterer”.