CONCACAF 2025 Player Rankings: Christian Pulisic and Jonathan David lead race for region’s top honor

It wouldn't be hard to argue that this was Richards' breakout year. It was quite clear that he took a leap for both club and country in 2025, which is how he played his way onto this list.

On the club level, he won the FA Cup, Crystal Palace's first-ever major silverware, and followed that with a Community Shield win. For his country, the central defender blossomed into a leader with the USMNT, stepping into that role throughout the Gold Cup. He was one of the national team's most consistent players all year long, earning Gold Cup Team of the Tournament honors before then serving as the rock of the Americans' back three.

It all leads to reasons for optimism heading into 2026 as Richards can get even better.

In a Gold Cup year, the tournament’s Player of the Tournament is almost impossible to ignore - especially when it’s someone as influential as Edson Álvarez.

The Mexico midfielder pulled the strings throughout the summer, adding two goals and an assist along the way. One of those goals proved decisive, sealing the final and delivering El Tri a record-extending 10th Gold Cup title. Álvarez’s fingerprints were all over the triumph, as they so often are when Mexico lift silverware.

At club level, Álvarez logged heavy minutes for West Ham last season, and the impact of his absence has been felt since his loan move to Fenerbahçe. Now 28 and firmly in his prime, he remains as indispensable as ever to El Tri.

In terms of pure goal scorers, there are few in CONCACAF who can match Jonathan David’s consistency. The Canada star has made a habit of finding the net year after year, and 2025 was no different.

David followed up back-to-back 26-goal seasons with 25 finishes for Lille last campaign, once again establishing himself as one of Europe’s most reliable forwards. He carried that form into international play as well, scoring six times for Canada, including the Nations League strike in March that made him his country’s all-time leading scorer.

That body of work earned David a move to Juventus, where he has settled into a contributing role, scoring three goals across 21 appearances in all competitions. His strong overall campaign resulted in him getting CONCACAF Men’s Player of the Year honors in November. 

Still just 25, David remains one of the region’s most dependable attacking forces - and a standard-bearer for CONCACAF forwards. 

Like a fine wine, right?

Even now, over 12 years since he scored his first international goal, 34-year-old Raul Jimenez remains as dangerous as any player in this region. The Mexico star scored nine goals this season, including four in the two Nations League matches in March to lead El Tri to that trophy. He chipped in three more in the Gold Cup, including a fantastic finish in the final to equalize after an early USMNT goal.

All the while, he had a 12-goal season in the Premier League with Fulham during the last campaign and has three to his name this season. Jimenez remains a fantastic player, one who has had as good a career as anyone in this region.

Could there be anyone else at the top of this list? Perhaps - but when a player performs at the level Christian Pulisic has shown at club level, the answer becomes clear.

No CONCACAF player is playing at as high a level as Pulisic is right now. He's been fantastic at AC Milan, playing his way right into that world-class conversation. There have been peaks and valleys for the club, but Pulisic, by and large, has consistently been one of Serie A's best players, if not the best.

With the USMNT, he had some difficult moments and famously missed out on the Gold Cup this summer. Even with that, though, Pulisic is clearly the guy in this region, and it'll be very hard for someone to unseat him.