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Bayern Munich and England captain Harry Kane won the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or at a London ceremony on October 26, according to BBC Sport. The 33-year-old described the moment as “a dream come true” while speaking to the BBC. Kane edged out Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe into second place and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal in third, a result confirmed by France Football’s voting panel of international journalists.
The award recognised a season in which Kane scored 73 goals and provided eight assists in 65 appearances for club and country, BBC Sport figures show. That tally included a club-record 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern Munich, where he surpassed previous benchmarks set by the likes of Gerd Muller. According to Bundesliga data, his 36 league goals secured the Golden Boot for the third straight year as the Bavarian club claimed the Bundesliga title along with the German Cup and Super Cup.
Kane’s international contribution proved equally decisive, with 12 goals in 14 England matches that included six at the 2026 World Cup as the team secured a third-place finish, UEFA.com reported. The performance capped a career that has seen the striker amass more than 400 club goals and become England’s all-time leading scorer. His previous best finish in the Ballon d’Or rankings had been 10th place.
This victory marked the first time an Englishman has claimed the prize since Michael Owen in 2001 and made Kane the fifth from the country to do so after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan, the Guardian noted. It also represented the first Ballon d’Or for a Bundesliga-based player since Matthias Sammer in 1996 and the first for a Bayern Munich player since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981, according to Euronews.
Earlier in the evening Kane collected the men’s striker of the year award, having been recognised for the same honour previously, a Ballon d’Or press release stated. The ceremony, held at the London Palladium rather than the traditional Paris venue, also saw Alexia Putellas win the women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time. Ronaldo Nazario presented Kane with his trophy amid loud applause from the audience.
Kane told reporters after the event that he was almost speechless and that being in London made it extra special, as carried by Reuters. The striker thanked voters and those who supported him throughout his career. His 73-goal haul stands as the second highest single-season total in Europe this century behind only Lionel Messi’s 82 in 2011-12, Transfermarkt statistics indicate.
