Discover the Best Male Soccer Player Each Year Since 1979

Bill Barnwell Jun 24, 2026, 06:17 AM ET Close Bill Barnwell is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. He analyzes football on and off the field like no one else on the planet, writing about in-season X's and O's, offseason transactions and so much more.

He is the host of the Bill Barnwell Show podcast , with episodes released weekly. Barnwell joined ESPN in 2011 as a staff writer at Grantland. Follow on X

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49082373/2026-world-cup-best-soccer-player-mens-year-championship-belt-winners-barnwell)._