England captain Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Englishman in 25 years to claim football’s most prestigious individual award, as reported by Sky Sports. The Bayern Munich forward collected the Golden Ball at a ceremony in London on Monday night.
Beating Mbappe And Yamal
Kane finished ahead of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. Lionel Messi placed fifth in the men’s rankings, according to ESPN.
DON'T MISS
The 73-Goal Season
The award rewards the 2025/26 season, in which the 33-year-old scored 73 goals in 65 matches for club and country. Only Messi, with 82 in 2011/12, has scored more in a single season. Kane also helped Bayern win the domestic treble.
Kane At The World Cup
At the World Cup, he scored six goals as England reached the semi-finals, where they lost to Argentina. They then beat France 6-4 in the third-place match. Kane also won the Striker of the Year award and a Gerd Muller Trophy on the night.
Joining An Exclusive English Club
Kane becomes only the fifth Englishman to win the award, after Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen. Owen had sent Kane a message before the ceremony, saying he hoped the striker would join the small group of English winners. Kane said that support filled him with pride, as he grew up watching Owen play.
A Fitting Stage
The ceremony was held in London instead of Paris to mark the award’s 70th anniversary and honour Matthews, the first winner in 1956. Kane had said earlier that the result was “not in my hands,” and hoped the home venue might prove lucky.
For a player who spent years chasing silverware and recognition, the award caps a remarkable peak in his 30s. It also ends a long wait for English football fans.
