Ballon d'Or 2026: Harry Kane beats Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to award

Harry Kane has been crowned the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner, becoming the first Englishman in 25 years to lift the prestigious award.

The Bayern Munich and England forward scored 73 goals in all competitions last season and has started the current campaign in blistering form with 16 goals and nine assists.

Kane becomes the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the Ballon d’Or, having captained the Three Lions to the World Cup semi-finals over the summer.

In addition to lifting the European Golden Shoe, presented to the top league goalscorer across the top divisions of European national leagues, Kane helped guide Bayern to a domestic double.

The 33-year-old is also the first Bayern Munich player to win the award in 45 years, since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981, and the fourth Bayern winner alongside Gerd Muller and Franz Beckenbauer.

A large Bayern delegation was in attendance at The Palladium, with Michael Olise, Luis Diaz, Dayot Upamecano and teenage sensation Lennart Karl among the travelling squad.

President Herbert Hainer and chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen were also in attendance, but sporting director Max Eberl was forced to stay behind due to a cold.

The Ballon d’Or website had earlier released an article crowning Kane the winner before swiftly removing it. They also published similar articles for Yamal, Mbappe and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi.