Just 28 points: Kane edged Mbappe in tightest Ballon d’Or vote under current system

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or by just 28 points over Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, the narrowest margin under the award’s current voting system. — AFP

First Published: Saturday, 31 Oct 2026 9:38 AM MYT

PARIS, Oct 31 — Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or by the smallest margin under its current voting system when he edged Kylian Mbappe by 28 points, France Football which runs the awards, revealed yesterday.

The magazine published a breakdown of the votes in its yesterday edition.

Bayern Munich’s Kane, the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001, received 40 first-place votes from the 100 jurors and a total of 1,055 points. France captain Mbappe of Real Madrid was placed first 23 times and finished with 1,027 points.

The previous smallest margin was 41 when Rodri, then of Manchester City, edged another Real player Vinicius Junior by 41 points in 2024.

Last season, Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele totalled 1,380 points as he finished 321 points ahead of Lamine Yamal of Barcelona.

This summer, Yamal won a World Cup with Spain but he finished third in the voting on 881 points, 174 behind Kane.

The Ballon d’Or is awarded following a vote by journalists (one per country) representing the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings for men, and the top 50 for women. — AFP