Kane ends England’s 25-year Ballon d’Or wait
England captain Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Englishman in 25 years to claim football’s prestigious individual award.
The Bayern Munich striker was crowned at a ceremony in London on Monday, beating Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal to the prize.
*Harry Kane
Etim Ekpimah
England captain Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Englishman in 25 years to claim football’s prestigious individual award.
The Bayern Munich striker was crowned at a ceremony in London on Monday, beating Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal to the prize.
Kane’s triumph followed a remarkable 2025/26 season in which he scored 73 goals for club and country, helping Bayern secure domestic silverware and England finish third at the 2026 World Cup.
The 33-year-old scored 61 goals in 51 competitive appearances for Bayern, contributing to the club’s Bundesliga and German Cup triumphs. He also scored six goals at the World Cup.
His victory makes him the first Englishman to win the men’s Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001 and only the fifth Englishman to receive the award, following Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen.
Kane also won the Gerd Müller Trophy, awarded to the leading goalscorer, in recognition of his prolific season.
The Ballon d’Or is organised by French football magazine France Football and recognises outstanding individual performance in football.
