England captain Harry Kane has won the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or, becoming the first English player to claim the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker received the prize at a ceremony at the London Palladium on Monday 26 October, finishing ahead of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.
Kane’s award follows a 2025/26 campaign in which he scored 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country, according to the Football Association. That included 61 goals for Bayern and 12 for England.
A record-breaking season for Kane
Kane helped Bayern retain the Bundesliga title and win the German Cup. He also finished as the Bundesliga’s leading scorer for the third consecutive season and scored 14 goals in the Champions League as Bayern reached the semi-finals.
For England, Kane scored six times during the 2026 World Cup as the national side finished third. He also received the men’s Striker of the Year prize at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
First English winner in 25 years
Kane is the fifth Englishman to win the men’s Ballon d’Or, joining Sir Stanley Matthews (1956), Sir Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Michael Owen (2001).
The ceremony was staged in London for the first time, marking 70 years since Matthews received the inaugural award in 1956.
2026 men’s Ballon d’Or top five
- Harry Kane, Bayern Munich and England
- Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid and France
- Lamine Yamal, Barcelona and Spain
- Rodri, Manchester City/Barcelona and Spain
- Lionel Messi, Inter Miami and Argentina
Putellas wins women’s prize
Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time. Ewa Pajor finished second and Khadija Shaw third. Barcelona won the women’s Club of the Year award, while Paris Saint-Germain took the men’s club prize.
Other winners included Lamine Yamal and Vicky López for young talent, Unai Simón and Cata Coll for goalkeeper honours, and Bukayo Saka for the Sócrates Award recognising charitable and humanitarian work.
