Harry Kane won the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or, becoming the first Englishman to take the prize in 25 years. The ceremony was held on Monday, 26 October, at the London Palladium, where the Bayern Munich striker finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal.

The award, organised by France Football and decided by 100 journalists worldwide, recognised his club and international season. Kane, 33, scored 73 goals across the campaign, including 61 in 51 matches for Bayern — a single-season club record for the Bavarian side.

Mbappé (Real Madrid) finished second and Yamal (Barcelona) third. The French forward extended his World Cup career scoring record to 22 goals, ten of them at the 2026 tournament, while Yamal lifted the World Cup with Spain.

Kane is the fifth English winner after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan (twice) and Michael Owen in 2001. The show started late because of congestion around the venue, and the trophy was handed over to chants of “Harry” inside the Palladium.

On the same night, Alexia Putellas claimed the women's Ballon d'Or for a third time. Yamal was named men's young player of the year, and Spain coach Luis de la Fuente took coach of the year after the World Cup triumph.

Kane did not win the World Cup or the Champions League last season — England and Bayern both exited in the semi-finals — but his scoring rate proved decisive with the voting panel. The men's top 10 also featured Rodri, Lionel Messi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé and Erling Haaland, among others.

For English football, the result ends a quarter-century wait for the sport's top individual honour. Kane was also named men's striker of the year in the official ceremony tally.

Image: London Palladium (Wikimedia Commons).

Sources consulted: Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or ahead of Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal - ESPN; Harry Kane: Bayern Munich and England striker wins Ballon d'Or - BBC Sport.