Kane wins Ballon d'Or ahead of Mbappé and Yamal, first Englishman since Owen in 2001

Harry Kane is the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner. The 33-year-old Bayern Munich and England striker was named the world's best player at the London Palladium on Monday night, ahead of Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé in second and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal in third.

He is the first Englishman to take the award since Michael Owen in 2001, and only the fifth overall after Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Owen. He is also the first Bayern player to win it since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. Kane's best finish before this year was 10th.

A record season without the biggest trophies

The vote rewarded a 2025-26 campaign in which Kane scored 61 times in 51 games for Bayern, a club record for a single season, and 73 in 65 once his England goals are added, with eight assists on top. He led the Bundesliga with 36 goals, struck 14 in the Champions League and 10 in the German Cup, including a hat-trick in the 3-0 final win over Stuttgart as Bayern won the league and cup double.

What he did not win were the two biggest prizes: Bayern went out in the Champions League semi-finals and England lost at the same stage of the World Cup, where Kane scored six goals. On the same evening he also won the Gerd Müller Trophy as top scorer, the first player to take it and the Ballon d'Or at one ceremony. He had shared that prize with Mbappé in 2024.

"I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar like some of the guys now," Kane told Dazn. In his acceptance speech he also addressed absent Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, who he said was "at home or I think still in the hospital": "Hope this has gave you a bit of energy."

The rest of the top 10 and the other awards

Spain midfielder Rodri finished fourth and Inter Miami's Lionel Messi fifth, followed by PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembélé, Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Kane's Bayern team-mate Michael Olise and PSG's Fabián Ruiz.

Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player for a third year in a row. Spain also took the Yashin Trophy through Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simón, 29, whose Spain side conceded once on the way to the World Cup title, and the Johan Cruyff Trophy for coach of the year through Luis de la Fuente. PSG were named men's club of the year and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka received the Sócrates Award.

In the women's categories, London City Lionesses midfielder Alexia Putellas won her third Ballon d'Or Féminin, Barcelona's Vicky López the young player award, Barcelona goalkeeper Cata Coll the goalkeeper award and Barcelona coach Pere Romeu the coach award.

Where the podium stands in this Champions League

Kane has carried his form into this season: he leads our Champions League scorer list on four goals, two of them penalties, level with five other players, although Bayern are only 14th in the league phase on five points from one win and two draws. Mbappé has three goals for a Real Madrid side fourth on a perfect nine points, while Yamal's Barcelona sit eighth on six.

The ceremony started 30 minutes late.