Bayern's Harry Kane is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or since 2001, ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, BBC Sport reports.
Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d'Or, becoming the first English player to take the men's award since Michael Owen in 2001, according to BBC Sport. The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker was crowned at a ceremony in London on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe finished second and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal was third.
Why Kane won the Ballon d'Or
The case rested on goals. BBC Sport reports that Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club matches last season, the most any Bayern player has scored in a single campaign. Counting his England games, the total rises to 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches. His 61 club goals were 19 more than any other player managed in Europe's top five leagues, and his 36 Bundesliga goals made him the league's top scorer by 17.
He won without lifting either of the sport's biggest prizes. According to BBC Sport, both Bayern and England lost in the semifinals of the Champions League and the World Cup. Kane did win the German league and cup double, including a hat-trick in the 3-0 German Cup final win over Stuttgart. His previous best Ballon d'Or finish was 10th.
The reaction
Kane told Dazn that his path was never straightforward. "I had to show self-belief, determination," he said. England manager Thomas Tuchel said he was "delighted," and Prince William, speaking about the former Tottenham Hotspur player, called him a "brilliant captain" and "remarkable player." BBC Sport also reports that the Wembley arches were lit gold on Monday night.
The announcement that leaked early
Hours before the ceremony, an article titled "Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or" appeared on the award's official website. BBC Sport says it began circulating at 17:15 GMT, or 1:15 p.m. ET. Similar pieces about other favorites, including Yamal and Mbappe, turned up on the same site. A Ballon d'Or spokesperson told BBC Sport that profiles of nominees "were inadvertently published" and "should in no way be considered as an indication of the final results or rankings." The Kane and Mbappe articles were removed by 17:40 GMT (1:40 p.m. ET). Alexia Putellas was confirmed as the women's winner.
Our take
This is our view, not reporting. Voters rewarded individual output over team trophies this year, and that choice will be debated. The numbers behind Kane's season are hard to argue with, but a season without a major trophy will give his critics an easy talking point. We will update this story if the organizers explain how the early articles were published.
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Picture credit: Ballon d'Or
