Euro Player of the Month Madness: Endrick's Hat-Trick Heroics, Yamal's Breakthrough and Thiago's Premier League Rampage!

Alright, lads, grab a pint and pull up a stool because it's time to dish the dirt on ESPN's Player of the Month awards for January 2026. Now in its fourth go-round, this cracking format pits the top dogs from Europe's big five leagues against each other – Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. Three savvy journos from different countries chuck in their votes: 10 points for your top pick, five for second, three for third. Max score? A whopping 30 if you're unanimously the bee's knees. Ties? Sorted by most first-place nods. Simple as that, and boy, did it deliver some belters this month.

Kicking off in Ligue 1, where the French flair meets Brazilian fireworks. Step forward Endrick, the 19-year-old loanee from Real Madrid who's only laced up for Lyon twice but somehow bagged 20 points and the crown. Debut against Brest? Assist in a 2-1 win. Next up, Metz get a 5-2 tonking, and the kid slams home a hat-trick. No pressure, right? Lyon's fans are buzzing like they've won the lotto, and Endrick's already eyeing a Brazil call-up to give Carlo Ancelotti something to chew on. Ousmane Dembélé nipped at his heels in second on 20 points, while third was a messy tie between Strasbourg's Martial Godo, Lens's Wesley Saïd, and Lyon's own Pavel Sulc on three.

Over in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, that French wizard on the wing, romped to 23 points. The 24-year-old, nabbed from Crystal Palace mid-2024, was everywhere in five games: three goals, eight assists. Bayern nabbed three wins, a draw, and one loss, sitting pretty on 51 points ahead of Dortmund's 45. Olise was third last month too – this bloke's on a tear. Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramaric took silver (15 points), Augsburg's Alexis Claude-Maurice bronze (10).

Serie A served up Lautaro Martínez, Inter's Argentine hitman, with 20 points. The 28-year-old, who's been bossing it since 2018, notched three goals in six games – against Bologna, Udinese, and Pisa – as Inter won five, drew one, and lead with 55 points. Key man? Understatement of the year. AC Milan's Mike Maignan was second (13), Inter teammate Federico Dimarco third (10).

La Liga's golden boy? Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old right winger finally grabbing gold after three podium finishes. 20 points from four games: two goals (Real Oviedo 3-0, Elche 3-1) and an assist. Barca top the table on 55, one ahead of Madrid's 54. Kid's a freak. Real Sociedad's Mikel Oyarzabal silver (18), Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé bronze (8).

And saving the Premier League for last – because why not build the suspense? Brentford's Igor Thiago, another Brazilian beast at 24, topped with 20 points. He's second in the golden boot race with 16 goals, trailing Haaland's 20. In five Bees games, he bagged five – hat-trick vs Everton (4-2), brace vs Sunderland (3-0). Seventh place on 36 points? Largely his doing. From Brazilian lower leagues to Ludogorets, Brugge, now Brentford since 2024 – Ancelotti's scouts are drooling. Bournemouth/Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo second (13), Liverpool's Florian Wirtz third (8).

As reported by Daniel Servidio and Vinicius Garcia at ESPN Italy, this lot are the ones turning January into a highlight reel. Blimey, with talents like Endrick settling in quicker than a dodgy kebab and Yamal outshining the old guard, 2026's shaping up to be a right laugh. Who's your pick for February? Fancy a wager?