Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas Win 2026 Ballon d'Or Awards in London

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas were awarded the prestigious Ballon d'Or trophies during the 70th annual gala on Monday, October 26, 2026, held at the historic London Palladium theater in London. Kane, who was handed the men's trophy by Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo, earned the honor for the first time in his career following a record-setting individual campaign. With this victory, the London-born forward became the first English player to take home soccer's premier individual accolade since Michael Owen won the award in 2001.

Kane's triumph capped an extraordinary 2025–2026 season running from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, during which he tallied 73 goals in 65 matches across his appearances for club and country. Playing for Bayern Munich, the 33-year-old scored 61 goals and added seven assists in 51 matches, steering the team to domestic dominance with titles in the Bundesliga, the German Cup, and the German Super Cup. His prolific finishing earned him the European Golden Shoe as well as the Gerd Müller Trophy as the top striker, repeating his success from 2024. At the international level, the England captain guided his national team to the 2026 World Cup semifinals, where they were eliminated by Argentina.

Accepting the trophy on stage in his hometown, Kane praised his teammates, club leadership, and family for supporting his development. "Thank you to everyone who voted for me and congratulations to all the nominees; you are examples of hard work," Kane stated during his acceptance speech. "Thank you to everyone at Bayern Munich; it is an honor to represent this club and my teammates. Without you, nothing would be possible." He also extended his appreciation to his England teammates, credited his formative years at Tottenham and former coaches including José Mourinho, and offered heartfelt gratitude to his wife, Kate, his parents, and his brother for standing by him through the challenging phases of his career.

In the men's voting classification, Real Madrid's French forward Kylian Mbappé finished as the runner-up, while Barcelona's Spanish winger Lamine Yamal claimed third place on the podium. The remainder of the men's top ten featured Manchester City midfielder Rodri in fourth place, followed by Lionel Messi in fifth, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in sixth, Ousmane Dembélé in seventh, Erling Haaland in eighth, Michael Olise in ninth, and Fabián Ruiz in tenth. Other notable nominees included Portuguese midfielder Vitinha at 14th place and Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior at 17th.

In the women's category, Alexia Putellas collected the Ballon d'Or for the third time in her career, having previously won the honor in 2021 and 2022. The 32-year-old midfielder captained Barcelona through a dominant campaign that yielded four major titles, including the Spanish League, the Copa de la Reina, the Spanish Super Cup, and the UEFA Women's Champions League, alongside winning the UEFA Women's Nations League with the Spanish national team. Putellas, who departed Barcelona after 14 seasons to join English side London City Lionesses, finished ahead of fellow podium contenders Ewa Pajor of Barcelona and Khadija Shaw of Manchester City.

Several other major individual accolades were distributed over the course of the evening. Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Vicky López received the men's and women's Kopa Trophy for the world's best under-21 players, while Cata Coll was named best female goalkeeper. Spain's Unai Simón received the Yashin Trophy as the premier male goalkeeper, and Mexican forward Charlyn Corral won the women's Gerd Müller Trophy after scoring 50 goals in 49 appearances for Pachuca and Mexico. Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka took home the Sócrates Award in recognition of his involvement in charitable and social initiatives.

Club and managerial honors concluded the ceremony in London. Pere Romeu was selected as the best women's coach as Barcelona claimed women's club of the year honors, while Spanish national team manager Luis de la Fuente was recognized as the best men's coach. Paris Saint-Germain secured the men's club of the year award following a campaign highlighted by a European Champions League title and an Intercontinental Cup victory on penalty kicks over Brazilian side Flamengo, which had won the Copa Libertadores in 2025.