Liga MX held its own version of the Ballon d’Or awards, its now annual gala where the best players, manager and team of the 2025–26 season were recognized.
The event celebrates the best of Liga MX over a full calendar year which included both the Apertura 2025 and Clausura 2026 seasons.
Apertura 2025 champions Toluca took home the joint-most awards with three. Despite failing to even reach the final in either of the two tournaments, Chivas players also took home three awards. Finally, the modest Atlético San Luis conquered three awards as well thanks to just one player.
Clausura 2026 champions Cruz Azul only collected two awards, but it brought home the most prestigious collective honor available.
The award winners are selected by a combination of fan votes as well as votes from each of the 18 club captains and managers.
2026 Liga MX Ballon d'Or: Full List of Winners
Best Team: Cruz Azul
After knocking on the door over the past two years, Cruz Azul finally lifted their 10th Liga MX title last May, becoming only the fourth team in Mexican soccer with double-digit league trophies.
Semifinalists at the very least in each of the past five seasons, the team with the most regular season points over the last two calendar years and 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup winners, La Máquina were only missing the elusive league title it finally conquered in the Clausura 2026.
Joel Huiqui was appointed as manager after Nicolás Larcamón’s sacking just one week away from the Clausura 2026 playoffs. Huiqui is since undefeated in the first 10 games of his managerial career and led Cruz Azul to defeat Pumas 2–1 on aggregate in May’s Clausura final.
La Máquina have been the most consistent side over the past year in Liga MX and their thrilling triumph a season ago was the cherry on top of a deserving winner of the Team of the Year award.
Best Manager: Antonio Mohamed (Toluca)
Antonio Mohamed led Toluca to back-to-back Liga MX titles in the Apertura 2025 and joined an exclusive club of seven managers that have won five or more Liga MX titles.
More impressively, the Argentine boss has done it with four different teams, a feat only three others have managed across league history.
Mohamed, a pragmatic and cunning strategist, is one of the best to ever grace a Liga MX dugout. Instead of trying to push for a third-straight league title, Mohamed and Toluca prioritized continental glory during the first semester of 2026. This saw them exit the Clausura 2026 in the quarterfinals but Los Diablos Rojos would go on to win the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Rookie of the Year: Brian Gutiérrez (Chivas)
Brian Gutiérrez was largely unknown in Mexico when he joined Chivas from MLS side Chicago Fire at the turn of the year. Six months later, the 22-year-old started for Mexico in its 2026 World Cup debut against South Africa. Quite the semester for the young talent.
The Mexican-American dual national hit the ground running and was a key contributor under manager Gabriel Milito, who had Chivas looking like a formidable force for much of the Clausura 2026 until El Tri’s World Cup roster decimated the Argentine’s squad just as the playoffs started.
Still, Gutiérrez had an overwhelmingly positive first season in Liga MX and he’s still got plenty of potential yet to unlock.
Best Goalkeeper: Nahuel Guzmán (Tigres)
The seemingly eternal Nahuel Guzmán is yet to show signs of slowing down and just months before turning 40, he was instrumental in Tigres’ run to the Apertura 2025 final.
His leadership, experience, mind-games and undeniable quality between the posts remain sharp. After the departure of club legends André-Pierre Gignac, Javier Aquino and Guido Pizarro over the past year, he’s the last man standing from Tigres’ golden era.
Guzmán still has plenty left in the tank and he’ll eventually go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers in Liga MX history when it’s all said and done.
Best Center Back: Erik Lira (Cruz Azul)
Erik Lira has been one of the most consistent performers in Liga MX over the past three years, and although he’s a natural midfielder, he’s mostly played in the middle of Cruz Azul’s three-center back system, operating as a sweeper that plays in midfield when his side has possession.
The 26-year-old “pit bull” covers every blade of grass and is intelligent with the ball at his feet. His leadership has also become essential for Cruz Azul and he captained the side to the Clausura 2026 title—even if he missed the playoffs after reporting to Mexico’s World Cup camp.
The best of Lira was available for the world to see during Mexico’s World cup journey, and a European move this summer should materialize before the end of the window. He has nothing left to prove in Mexican soccer.
Best Fullback: Bryan González (Chivas)
Richard Ledezma might be the more electrifying Chivas wing-back, but Bryan González, often underrated, is the most complete of the pair and deservedly earned the recognition as the league’s best fullback of the past year.
"El Cotorro” is a freight-train down Chivas’ left flank, a potent player with never-ending stamina that is a constant threat down the wing with menacing crosses or far-post arrivals. He also has few noticeable flaws defensively.
After a solid 2025 Club World Cup performance with Pachuca, González became an undisputed starter for Chivas under Milito and had 11 goal contributions in 40 games during 2025–26. His omission from Mexico’s World Cup roster—and essentially the entire process—turned heads.
Best Defensive Midfielder: Marcel Ruiz (Toluca)
An argument could be made that no player was more critical to Toluca winning back-to-back Liga MX titles in the Apertura 2025 than Marcel Ruiz. The all-action midfielder was an absolute force and had his fingerprints all over Antonio Mohamed’s side, contributing in every phase of the game.
Ruiz was the best midfielder in Liga MX for much of 2025 and the start of 2026, and looked poised to play a crucial role for Mexico at the 2026 World Cup. Then, he partially tore his ACL in March and although he kept on playing, El Tri manager Javier Aguirre opted against including him in the roster.
Still, Ruiz’s ability to play on a severely injured knee during the final stretch of the campaign was admirable, and he was rewarded with helping Toluca win the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. He’s since undergone surgery and is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the year.
Best Attacking Midfielder: Nicolás Castro (Toluca)
Toluca struck gold when it landed Nicolás Castro last summer, a relatively unknown Argentine attacking midfielder from Elche that added a new dimension to the team’s already powerful attack.
Although he didn’t post the numbers of other teammates such as Paulinho or Alexis Vega, Toluca were at their attacking best when it had Castro operating in the No. 10 role serving as chief creator. Clever passes, the ability to get by people in tight spaces, vision and equally devastating with either foot all put together in one incredibly intelligent player that operates with the cadency and elegance of a classic South American attacking midfielder.
The scary thing is that at 25 year olds, Toluca might be able to unlock an even more impactful version of Castro.
Most Valuable Player: João Pedro (Atlético San luis)
Atlético San Luis talisman João Pedro won the biggest award of the night as he was named Liga MX’s Most Valuable Player of 2025–26. Despite playing for a mid-table side, Pedro scored 26 goals in 38 appearances since joining the club last summer and was the leading goalscorer of both the Apertura and Clausura campaigns.
The 34-year-old Italian arrived as a free agent from Hull City and instantly became an unstoppable force. A number of teams tried to poach him away from San Luis during the winter after a 12-goal debut term, but he stayed and although San Luis finished one position lower, Pedro himself improved with a 14-goal tally.
Pedro showed he has the quality to overcome the context around him and still produce the best goalscoring season of any player in Mexican soccer. As a result, he also took home the awards of Best Striker and Best Goalscorer to go along with his coveted MVP recognition.
Unfortunately, Pedro tore his ACL earlier this month and will be sidelined for the considerable future. Despite his age, San Luis will hope their talisman is able to return at some point in 2027 to continue tormenting Liga MX defenses.
