Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Englishman in 25 years to claim football’s most prestigious individual award after scoring 73 goals for club and country during the 2025/26 season.
The Bayern Munich and England striker received the men’s prize at a ceremony in London on Monday, joining an exclusive group of English footballers to have won the award.
Kane finished ahead of Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal in voting conducted by an international panel of football journalists organised by France Football.
The 33-year-old’s award caps a remarkable campaign in which he won two trophies with Bayern Munich and helped the German club reach the Champions League semi-finals.
He also scored six goals as England finished third at the World Cup, becoming the Three Lions’ all-time leading scorer in the competition.
Kane, who had never finished higher than 10th in previous Ballon d’Or rankings, admitted he was overwhelmed by the recognition.
“I am almost speechless,” he said in his acceptance speech.
“Being here in London has made it extra special. It looked like a good omen for me tonight.”
He also collected the men’s striker of the year award at the ceremony.
Kane thanked his England teammates and staff, Bayern Munich and manager Vincent Kompany, who is recovering after collapsing at the club’s training ground on Friday.
He also acknowledged his former club Tottenham Hotspur and paid tribute to his family for their support throughout his career.
Speaking about his children, he said they were “the reason I do this” before describing his wife, Kate, as “my biggest supporter”.
“You always want the best for me. You sacrifice yourself to help me achieve my dreams. It wouldn’t be possible without you,” he added.
England manager Thomas Tuchel led the tributes to the striker, praising his performances and leadership.
“I ran out of superlatives to describe your performances a long time ago, but I’m delighted to see that you have now been formally recognised by the football world,” Tuchel said.
“To become the first Englishman to win this huge honour in 25 years makes it extra special and we are lucky to have you as our leader.”
Kane is only the fifth Englishman to win the men’s Ballon d’Or, following Sir Stanley Matthews in 1956, Sir Bobby Charlton in 1966, Kevin Keegan in 1978 and 1979, and Michael Owen in 2001.
He also remains England’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer with 91 goals and is closing in on becoming the country’s most-capped player after equalling Peter Shilton’s record of 125 appearances earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Spain international Alexia Putellas, who plays for London City Lionesses, won the women’s Ballon d’Or.
Barcelona were named women’s club of the year, while Paris Saint-Germain claimed the men’s award.
Other winners included Bukayo Saka, who received the Socrates Award for humanitarian work, and Yamal, who was named men’s young talent of the year.
Unai Simon and Cata Coll won the men’s and women’s goalkeeper awards, respectively, while Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and Barcelona women’s coach Pere Romeu were named coaches of the year.
