England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has won the 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Englishman to claim football’s most prestigious individual award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Kane was announced as the winner at the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the London Palladium in London on Monday, October 26, 2026.
The 33-year-old striker beat strong competition from Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal to take home the coveted prize.
Kane’s victory follows an outstanding 2025/26 season in which he scored 73 goals in 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and England.
His impressive performances helped Bayern secure the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal, while he also finished as the German league’s top scorer for the third consecutive season.
The England captain further strengthened his case for the award with six goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where England finished third.
Kane becomes only the fifth Englishman to win the Men’s Ballon d’Or, joining legendary names such as Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen.
Reacting to the achievement, Kane described the moment as incredible and credited his teammates, coaches, family and supporters for helping him reach the pinnacle of world football.
The victory marks a major milestone in Kane’s career, having previously never finished higher than 10th in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
With the award, the Bayern Munich forward has finally secured individual recognition for years of remarkable goal-scoring performances at both club and international levels.