Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or in London, scoring 73 goals to become the first English player to claim the award in 25 years.
Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d’Or award. The award ceremony took place at the famous London Palladium in England. This prize shows that Kane is the single best football player in the whole world this year.
Winning this prize is a huge deal for England. The last English player to win the award was Michael Owen in the year 2001.
That means no English player had won it for 25 long years until now. Kane is now on the same proud list as English football legends like Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Michael Owen.
Kane got the trophy because he played unbelievably well for both his club team, Bayern Munich, and his national team, England. Over the full season, he scored an amazing 73 goals in total for club and country.
For Bayern Munich alone, he scored 61 goals in just 51 matches. That is the highest number of goals any Bayern player has ever scored in a single year.
He also led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Because of these big achievements, he beat France’s Kylian Mbappe, who came second, and Spain’s Lamine Yamal, who came third.
Before the show started, there was some confusion online. The main Ballon d’Or website accidentally published three different articles naming Kane, Mbappe, and Yamal each as winners.
They quickly took the wrong pages down. Heavy road traffic in London also made the event start 45 minutes late. But everything went well once the main show began. Great players like Brazilian legend Ronaldo were there to hand out the big prize.
When Kane went up on stage to collect his award, he was very happy and emotional.
“Wow, I’m almost speechless,” an emotional Kane said on stage. “First of all, thanks again to France Football and the Ballon d’Or for this amazing event. Being in London, it is extra special; it felt like a good omen.”
Kane talked about how hard he worked to get to the top after starting his career with many loans to smaller teams.
“It’s just the journey. For any young boy or girl who wants to achieve their dream, anything is possible,” Kane added. “I hope my journey, it wasn’t straightforward, I didn’t go straight to the top, I had to experience a lot of loan moves and fight my way to get to where I am now. I hope that can give you inspiration, and thank you very much.”
Later on, speaking to reporters, Kane revealed how nervous he felt before hearing his name.
“My heart was beating fast, and I was just hoping that Ronaldo would say my name. It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Kane said. Speaking to Sky Sports, Kane insisted he could not have won the trophy alone.
“I’m lucky and blessed to be surrounded by incredible players, incredible people, both with the national team and with Bayern Munich. When you have players like Michael Olise around you, Lucho Luis Diaz and these guys, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham and all the top, top players assisting me and putting me in positions and dragging defenders away, they obviously allow me to then express myself,” Kane shared. “As much as this is an individual award, I’ll give thanks to them because it wouldn’t be possible without any of them, and that’s what makes a team.”
Former player Jamie Carragher praised Kane for making the move to Germany.
“Absolutely delighted. What a career he’s had, what a player he is, and as a country, we haven’t got enough Ballon d’Or winners,” Carragher said. “It’s certainly been a long time. My former teammate Michael Owen was the last to win it in 2001, so it’s been a long wait. But in terms of Harry Kane, and I think Jude Bellingham, who’s going to be a future Ballon d’Or winner, we do have two of the greatest players of their era. I’m delighted for Kane and the country.”
Carragher added: “There’s no way Harry Kane could’ve won the Ballon d’Or if he was playing for Tottenham.”
Top leaders also sent messages. England manager Thomas Tuchel praised his captain.
“Congratulations, Harry, on a deserved Ballon d’Or!” Tuchel said. “I ran out of superlatives to describe your performances a long time ago, but I’m delighted to see that you have now been formally recognised by the football world. To become the first Englishman to win this huge honour in 25 years makes it extra special, and we are lucky to have you as our leader.”
Prince William wrote on Instagram: “What a fantastic achievement and so deserved. A brilliant captain, a remarkable player and someone who has given football fans across the world so many unforgettable moments.”
The landmark evening also celebrated other top football stars. Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas won the Women’s Ballon d’Or for a record-equalling third time.
Barcelona’s teenage star Lamine Yamal took home the Kopa Trophy as the best young player under 21 years old.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
