Football Italia Show: Italy’s Ballon d’Or – Who was the best in 2026?

Football Italia Show: Italy’s Ballon d’Or – Who was the best in 2026? With no Italian players featuring among the leading contenders on Ballon d’Or night, the Football Italia Show is taking matters into its own hands. Click here to subscribe to the official Football Italia YouTube channel Lorenzo Bettoni and Giancarlo Rinaldi return with a new episode to debate the best Italian performers of the 2025-26 season and rank the country’s top five players. Who was Italy’s best player in 2025-26? BOLOGNA – OCTOBER 05: Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alessandro Bastoni of Italy during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Italy and Türkiye at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on October 05, 2026 in Bologna. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Who deserves to be crowned Italy’s standout footballer? From Gianluigi Donnarumma to Riccardo Calafiori and Federico Dimarco, plenty of candidates deserve consideration, with club-level performances providing plenty of talking points. Donnarumma’s displays between the posts, Calafiori ’s contribution in defence and Dimarco’s influence from the flank are among the performances that make this an intriguing debate. But who has done enough to claim a place in the top five, and who should be considered the leading Italian player right now? LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 10: Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on October 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) Lorenzo and Giancarlo assess the candidates, weigh up the performances that have stood out throughout the 2025-26 campaign, and reveal their personal rankings. Do you agree with their choices, or have they overlooked another Italian player? Watch the full episode of the Football Italia Show to hear the debate and discover who makes the final five. Who would be your Ballon d’Or winner among Italian players? Watch the full show below: