Harry Kane Wins the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or

English forward Harry Kane was officially awarded the prestigious men's Ballon d'Or for the first time in his career during the ceremony held overnight from Monday, October 26, to Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Kane succeeded the previous year's winner, French player Ousmane Dembélé, following an exceptional campaign across all club and international competitions.

During the 2026 season, Kane scored an impressive 73 goals across all competitions. His remarkable performance included helping Bayern Munich reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they were ultimately defeated by Paris Saint-Germain, the eventual tournament winners. Additionally, he captained England to a third-place finish at the World Cup, notably defeating France in the third-place playoff match.

In recognition of his prolific goal-scoring abilities, Kane was also honored with the Gerd Müller Trophy, which is presented to the season's top scorer. Statistics indicate that his total of 73 goals places him in rare company, with only Lionel Messi having achieved a higher single-season tally of 82 goals during the 2010-2011 season.

Fellow forward Kylian Mbappé finished in second place for the Ballon d'Or. Despite openly expressing his ambition to claim the trophy, Mbappé did not receive any individual accolades outside of his runner-up finish. While he did not secure collective trophies during the period, his candidacy was supported by impressive individual milestones, including finishing as the top scorer in La Liga with 25 goals, the Champions League with 15 goals, and setting a historic World Cup goal-scoring record with 22 career goals, including ten scored during the 2026 tournament.

The 2026 ceremony also distributed awards across numerous other categories. In the women's division, Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas of FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team was honored with the Women's Ballon d'Or. Other notable winners included Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona, who received the Raymond Kopa Trophy as the best young men's player, and Unai Simón of Athletic Bilbao and Spain, who claimed the Lev Yashin Trophy as the top men's goalkeeper.

On the managerial side, Luis de la Fuente was awarded the Johan Cruyff Trophy as the best men's coach for his work with the Spanish national team, while Pere Romeu won the equivalent award for women's football as coach of FC Barcelona. Additionally, Paris Saint-Germain was named the men's club of the year, and FC Barcelona claimed the women's club of the year distinction.