On Monday evening in London, Harry Kane received the Ballon d'Or for 2026. The Englishman became the first player from England to be awarded the prize since 2001, when it was given to Michael Owen.
The 33-year-old forward for Bayern and the England national team finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal. Kane scored 73 goals in 65 matches for club and country in the 2025/26 season.
In the Bundesliga he scored 36 goals, in the Champions League 14, and for the national team 12. Thanks to him, Bayern won the league and the German Cup, while England reached the semi-finals of the World Cup.
The ceremony took place at the Palladium theatre. Kane walked onto the stage to an ovation and admitted he was almost lost for words. "Being here, in London, makes the moment especially special," he said.
The Women's Ballon d'Or was won for the third time by Alexia Putellas of Spain. Among the men, Mbappé was second, Yamal third, Rodri fourth and Lionel Messi fifth.
Kane had long been regarded as one of the world's best strikers, but the highest-level individual award had long eluded him. Now a record-breaking season in Munich and leading Europe in goals have changed the picture.
Can this triumph be called the culmination of a long journey, or simply a peak of form in 33? The facts speak for themselves: no other player scored as many in the top leagues over a season.
For English football, Kane's victory was a rare moment. The previous laureates — Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan — are long in history. Now another name has joined them.
