Candidates for the best player in this round of World European preliminaries: Cristiano Ronaldo, Merino, Retegui, Kane are shortlisted

Hupu News on October 15th The ninth round of the 2026 World Cup European Qualifying Group Stage has ended. UEFA has announced the best player candidate list for this round. The four selected players are Cristiano Ronaldo, Merino, Retegui and Kane.

The 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the match between Portugal and Hungary, and holds the record as the top scorer in the history of the World Cup preliminaries with 41 goals. Spanish midfielder Merino scored twice with headers in the 4-0 victory over Bulgaria, helping the team extend their unbeaten record in 29 official games.

Italian forward Retegui created a penalty kick and scored a world-beater in the 3-0 victory over Israel, continuing the perfect start of new coach Gennaro Gattuso. England captain Kane scored a goal in the 5-0 victory over Latvia, helping the team secure qualification for the World Cup ahead of schedule.