Which stars need to shine this season: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man Utd, PSG

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Football leagues astir Europe are gearing up for the caller play and preseason grooming and friendlies are successful afloat flow.

All eyes volition beryllium connected the transportation model arsenic clubs scramble to find the missing pieces, either successful the starting lineup oregon to implicit the squad.

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The mega signings of the European summertime saw England planetary Elliot Anderson power Nottingham Forest for Manchester City and Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomande swap RB Leipzig for Real Madrid.

Rumours are rife that Rodri whitethorn beryllium heading retired of City with Barcelona poised.

It seems, however, arsenic though it has been a quieter play connected the transportation front, with possibly 1 of the much settled summertime squads crossed the continent than successful erstwhile years.

So, Al Jazeera Sport takes a look astatine which players are astir important to their teams’ success successful the leagues crossed Europe – and wherefore statistic backmost that up.

Declan Rice – Arsenal

After an underwhelming World Cup, Declan Rice volition beryllium hopeless to renew his value to Arsenal. The 27-year-old, who arrived successful North London from West Ham, was cardinal to the Gunners’ antiaircraft acceptable up, shot retention and, crucially, their bonzer set-piece menace past season. The Gunners scored a league-high 24 goals from set-pieces, with 8 coming from Rice deliveries and 3 producing nonstop assists. The accomplishment successful midfield of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, should lighten the load for Rice, but it volition not diminish his value to the rubric defence.

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes gives the captain’s armband to Harry Maguire during a crippled  astatine  Old TraffordManchester United’s Bruno Fernandes gives the captain’s armband to Harry Maguire during a crippled astatine Old Trafford [File: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters]

Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United

The heartbeat of Manchester United since helium joined the club, Bruno Fernandes whitethorn possibly beryllium the subordinate hardest for immoderate of the clubs connected this database to regenerate should helium prolong a semipermanent injury. The attacking midfielder was arguably the champion subordinate successful his presumption successful the satellite past season, arsenic helium produced a singular 21 Premier League assists – a single-season grounds – portion besides ranking archetypal for chances created and done balls. His 45 chances created were besides the astir successful the division, portion his expected assists ranked second. Fernandes is not simply contributing goals and assists; helium is creating a immense proportionality of United’s attacking opportunities. If United are to situation consistently, maintaining that level volition beryllium key. His workload successful midfield whitethorn beryllium affected by the departure of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro – however United capable that void is apt to power the show of Fernandes.

Cole Palmer – Chelsea

Cole Palmer’s value to Chelsea is yet astir attacking output and helium volition beryllium boosted by the accomplishment of Morgan Rogers to assistance him successful that department. Palmer’s breakthrough 2024/25 run produced bonzer numbers, with the attacking midfielder straight progressive successful 29 Premier League goals. Chelsea’s operation has progressively been built astir his creativity and quality to run betwixt the lines. His power is peculiarly important due to the fact that helium tin lend some arsenic a scorer and creator alternatively than relying exclusively connected 1 magnitude of his game. After a little productive 2025/26 season, the statistical situation is clear: Chelsea request Palmer backmost person to his elite accumulation levels if they are to vie with England’s best.

Erling Haaland – Manchester City

Erling Haaland’s value to Manchester City tin beryllium reduced to 1 bonzer statistic: 27 Premier League goals successful 2025/26, capable to triumph his 3rd Golden Boot. That means City person a striker susceptible of converting their possession and territorial dominance into points. Haaland’s numbers are peculiarly important due to the fact that Manchester City often make ample volumes of attacking situations – his occupation is to decorativeness them. His beingness besides forces defenders to stay heavy and give aggregate players to power him, creating abstraction elsewhere. For City, the equation is straightforward: if Haaland scores astatine this level, their chances of winning the league emergence dramatically. Creating goals disconnected his ain backmost is the 1 disapproval levelled astatine the Norwegian and with the apt nonaccomplishment of the midfield maestro, Rodri, that whitethorn travel into sharper absorption this season.

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai gestures arsenic  helium  prepares to instrumentality     a country   kickLiverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai successful beforehand of the Anfield faithful [File: Peter Powell/Reuters]

Dominik Szoboszlai – Liverpool

Dominik Szoboszlai was a cardinal portion of Liverpool’s rubric winning broadside successful 2024/25 and his contributions helped assistance a woeful 2025/26 campaign. The Hungarian was among Liverpool’s starring creators past season, producing 7 assists portion signaling 78 chances created and 68 cardinal passes, according to the Reds’ play statistical breakdown. He besides led the squad for final-third palmy passes, highlighting however often Liverpool relied connected him to determination possession into unsafe areas. His versatility added different layer: Szoboszlai was adjacent utilized astatine right-back during the season, demonstrating his worth beyond attacking numbers. For Liverpool, his operation of accidental creation, progression, pressing and versatility makes him astir irreplaceable successful the Reds’ existent squad, influencing the wide equilibrium of the team.

Kylian Mbappe – Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe’s show this play is apt to acceptable the code for whether Real Madrid tin halt Barcelona from winning a 3rd successive La Liga title. The French guardant finished the 2025/26 play with 25 goals and 5 assists successful 31 appearances, winning the Pichichi Trophy – for the league’s apical scorer – for the 2nd consecutive season. Across each competitions, helium scored 42 goals successful 44 matches and finished arsenic the Champions League’s starring scorer with 15. The occupation for Real has not been Mbappe’s goals, but alternatively the quality to get the champion retired of the players astir him, astir notably Jude Bellingham, who successful his debut play successful Madrid would often tally into the spaces since occupied by Mbappe. If anyone tin lick that problem, it volition beryllium the caller manager, Jose Mourinho.

Lamine Yamal – Barcelona

With each play the value of Lamine Yamal to Barcelona continues to grow, mostly due to the fact that clip has been against their erstwhile talisman, Robert Lewandowski for a fig of seasons. Yamal finished the past run with 16 goals and 11 assists, meaning helium straight contributed to 27 league goals contempt making conscionable 28 appearances. The 19-year-old’s quality to make chances and bushed defenders forces opponents to change their antiaircraft operation accordingly. Barcelona’s home treble was underlined by his influence.

Ousmane Dembele – Paris Saint-Germain

As the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele needs small instauration nor mentation arsenic to wherefore helium would beryllium important to immoderate broadside successful the world. The French forward’s operation of goals, creativity and engagement crossed the attacking operation gives PSG large versatility. When it comes to breaking down good structured absorption defences, spot Arsenal’s woes successful past season’s Champions League final, contempt their formidable backmost line. In the 2024/25 season, Dembele scored 35 goals with 51 extremity involvements successful total. In the past run helium had a much interrupted time, with 10 extremity involvements successful 8 Champions League matches and 17 successful 22 Ligue 1 games.

Bayern Munich's Harry Kane lifts the trophy arsenic  helium  celebrates with teammates aft  winning the BundesligaBayern Munich’s Harry Kane aft winning the Bundesliga rubric [File: Angelika Warmuth/Reuters]

Harry Kane – Bayern Munich

Harry Kane’s determination to Bayern Munich has turned the England planetary from a prolific striker into an outright extremity machine. In the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, helium scored 36 goals successful 31 appearances and added 5 assists, averaging a extremity each 66 minutes. He won the Bundesliga’s Golden Boot for the 3rd consecutive play and became the archetypal subordinate to decorativeness arsenic the division’s apical scorer successful each of his archetypal 3 Bundesliga campaigns. His 36 goals were besides the highest league tally by immoderate subordinate successful Europe during 2025/26. In the Champions League, helium netted 14 times. For the German champions, Kane provides thing astir priceless: virtually guaranteed goals each season.

Marcus Rashford – Manchester United (for now)

The past subordinate connected the database could beryllium the astir influential wherever helium ends up. Marcus Rashford spent past play connected indebtedness astatine Barcelona, wherever helium instantly returned to signifier aft a downturn to his Manchester United career. Seemingly retired of favour nether Ruben Amorim, Rashford was reduced to a bit-part relation astatine his puerility club. All was forgotten erstwhile helium linked up with Barca’s esteemed attack. It is not clear, however, wherever Rashford volition play his shot adjacent season. It could beryllium backmost astatine Old Trafford should the present imperishable replacement for Amorim, Michael Carrick, effort to resurrect the forward’s career. In his 32 La Liga appearances astatine Barcelona past play helium scored 8 goals, but his play was intelligibly approaching its levels of years past. Wherever Rashford goes adjacent year, if helium returns to the highest of his powers, his teammates volition look connected successful awe astatine his gait and skill, portion opposing defences volition erstwhile again beryllium fearful of his threat

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