Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or ahead of Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal - ESPN

Harry Kane has become the first Englishman in 25 years to win the Ballon d'Or, beating Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to claim football's most prestigious individual award.

Kane was presented with the prize — which is organised by the magazine France Football and voted on by 100 journalists from around the world — on Monday at a star-studded gala in London, where he was rewarded for a historic season for club and country.

The 33-year-old starred for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and the Champions League and led England to the World Cup semifinals, scoring 73 goals in the process. He is the fifth English player to ever receive the honour, and the first since Michael Owen in 2001.

«Being in London, it is extra special, it felt like a good omen,» an emotional Kane said on stage. «Thank you to everyone who voted for me, I can imagine it was tough, so thank you.»

Rival Mbappé became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history this summer, with 22 goals, 10 of them scored at this year's edition, while Yamal won the tournament with Spain. The trio were bizarrely announced as winners on the official website hours before the ceremony in London.

Further chaos followed with the awards pushed back by 30 minutes to start at 8.30 p.m., but just over two hours later and Kane received the 70th Ballon d'Or to enormous cheers and chants of 'Harry' inside the London Palladium, minutes after London City midfielder Alexia Putellas claimed the women's prize for a third time.

Members of the Ballon d'Or jury choose 10 players, in order, from a 30-player shortlist, with the award going to the player who receives the most points overall.

Kane follows Ousmane Dembélé, who won the prize in 2025, and Rodri who won it in 2024.

For the last two