Harry Kane wins Ballon d’Or, ending England’s 25-year wait

Harry Kane, the Bayern Munich and England forward, won the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or in London on October 26, becoming the first Englishman in 25 years to receive the award. Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time.¹²³

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Club goals underpin award

Kane finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, with BBC reporting that Mbappe placed second and Yamal third. According to the broadcaster, Kane won without having secured either the World Cup or the Champions League during the season under consideration.¹²

BBC reported that Kane scored 61 goals in 51 Bayern appearances last season, a club record for a single campaign. His total was 19 higher than that of any other player in Europe’s five leading leagues, according to the broadcaster.²

The BBC breakdown credited him with 36 Bundesliga goals, 14 in the Champions League, 10 in the German Cup and one in the German Super Cup. It also reported that he scored all three goals in Bayern’s 3-0 German Cup final victory over Stuttgart.²

Bayern won the domestic league and cup double, according to BBC and The Jerusalem Post. The Guardian reported that Kane also won the European Golden Boot and played a substantial part in Bayern’s Bundesliga title.¹²³

Milestones for England and Bayern

The Jerusalem Post identified Michael Owen, the 2001 winner, as the previous English recipient. BBC reported that Kane was Bayern’s first Ballon d’Or winner since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981, while the Bundesliga said he was the first player from Germany’s top division to win since Matthias Sammer in 1996.²³⁴

Kane captained England to the World Cup semi-finals. The Guardian reported that he had equalled England’s appearance record earlier in October and had scored 91 international goals in 125 matches. The newspaper put his age at 33.¹³

England manager Thomas Tuchel described the award as a “huge honour”, according to BBC. Prince William called Kane a “brilliant captain” and a “remarkable player”. Wembley’s arch was illuminated in gold to mark the win.¹²

Kane acknowledged the competition for the prize, saying: “It was really tough this year, the incredible players I was up against”. The Guardian reported that Bayern had paid an initial €100 million to sign him three years earlier, when he was 30.¹

Putellas takes third women’s prize

Putellas’s third award followed a season in which she won the treble and Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona, according to The Jerusalem Post. According to the newspaper, she moved to London City Lionesses in July, ending a 14-year spell with Barcelona.¹³

Other awards included the men’s Club of the Year honour for Paris Saint-Germain and the Sócrates Award for Bukayo Saka, The Guardian reported. The newspaper described the Ballon d’Or selection as a vote involving journalists and administrators.¹