Harry Edward Kane has become only the fifth Englishman to win the coveted Ballon d’Or.
HARRY KANE IS THE 2026 BALLON D’OR! #ballondor https://t.co/k3CUlwLF1E
— Ballon d’Or (@ballondor) October 26, 2026
Previous winners from England were Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan (twice) and Michael Owen.
Monday night in London, he beat Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to the prestigious award.
It has now been revealed that it was a very close between Harry Kane and Mbappe for the top prize.
France Football editor-in-chief, Vincent Garcia, revealed after the ceremony how close the voting was on the men’s side.
“You will find everything about the vote in France Football on Saturday, but what I can say is that the distance in points between Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé is smaller than between Rodri and Vinícius Jr in 2024,” he told L’Equipe.
“It was 41 points then and even that was not enough.”
In the year under review, the England captain scored 73 goals and made eight assists.
That also earned him the Gerd Muller Award as the best striker in the world.
The 33-year-old striker also won the Bundesliga, German Cup and German Super Cup with Bayern Munich.
With the Three Lions of England, his goals propelled them to finish third at the 2026 World Cup in the Americas, their best-ever performance in 25 years.
“Work hard in silence. Let your success be your noise,” Kane posted on X after his latest achievement.
In his acceptance speech, Kane thanked former club Tottenham and his family.
“To my wife, you are my best friend. You wanted this award more than me,” he added.
“We have been through ups and downs. We have done it.
“You always wanted the best for me. You sacrificed yourself for my dreams. This would not have been possible without you.”
