Harry Kane, forward for Bayern Munich, was crowned the winner of the Ballon d'Or 2026 this Monday in a historic ceremony held at the London Palladium Theatre in London, becoming the first English footballer to lift the trophy in 25 years.
The 33-year-old attacker surpassed Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal in the voting, while Lionel Messi, despite being nominated, did not make the podium and didn't even travel to the British capital for the gala, according to Infobae.
The 2025-2026 season for Kane was marked by an impressive productivity: 73 goals in 65 matches between club and country, with 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern and 12 more for the England national team, six of which came in the 2026 World Cup.
With those numbers, the forward led Bayern Munich to a German treble that included the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, and the Supercup, in addition to winning the European Golden Shoe for the second consecutive season and the top scorer award in the Bundesliga for the third straight time.
In the 2026 World Cup, held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Kane scored six goals in seven matches and surpassed Gary Lineker's historic record as the highest English scorer in World Cup history.
England reached the semifinals of the tournament, where they fell to Argentina, and finished third after defeating France.
The trophy was presented on stage by former Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazario, on a night that also marked a collective milestone: Kane became the first player from Bayern Munich to win the Ballon d'Or since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge achieved it in 1981.
In his acceptance speech, the English captain thanked those who accompanied him on his journey: "I want to thank all the coaches I've had along the way," he said, specifically mentioning Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, and Harry Redknapp.
The night was dominated by Spain in the other categories, according to El País: Alexia Putellas won her third Ballon d'Or for women—matching the record set by Aitana Bonmatí—after a season in which she scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists before leaving FC Barcelona to join the London City Lionesses.
Unai Simón and Cata Coll received the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper in their respective categories, while Luis de la Fuente was named the best male coach after winning the 2026 World Cup with the Spanish national team, and Pere Romeu received the award in the women's category.
Lamine Yamal and Vicky López won the Kopa Trophy for Best Young Player, PSG was named Men's Club of the Year —two-time Champions League winner— and FC Barcelona took home the award in the women's category.
Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award for his humanitarian work, and the Mexican Charlyn Corral was recognized as the Female Goal Scorer of the Year with 36 goals for Pachuca, becoming the first representative from Mexico to win an award in the history of the gala.
Kane is the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or, following Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979), and Michael Owen (2001). The 2026 edition was also the first to be held outside of Paris in the 70-year history of the award, with London chosen as a tribute to Matthews, its first winner.
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