Harry Kane wins first Ballon d’Or after record scoring season with Bayern Munich
The England captain received the 2026 award at a London ceremony, becoming the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or at a ceremony at the London Palladium on Monday, 26 October, becoming the first English player to receive the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The Bayern Munich and England striker’s first win followed a season of record scoring for his club, according to BBC Sport.
The prize, presented by France Football to the leading individual player in world football, was awarded for the 70th time. USA TODAY reported that Kane finished ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé and Spain’s Lamine Yamal. Kane’s previous best finish in the Ballon d’Or voting was 10th, BBC Sport reported.
Kane’s scoring record for Bayern and England
BBC Sport put Kane’s 2025–26 club tally at 61 goals in 51 matches, a Bayern Munich single-season record. That included 36 goals in the Bundesliga, where he finished as the league’s top scorer. Counting his England appearances, the BBC reported a total of 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches.
His goals also came in competitions Bayern and England did not win. USA TODAY reported that Kane scored 14 times in 13 Champions League matches, including goals in both legs of Bayern’s quarter-final against Real Madrid and semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern lost to PSG in the semi-finals. England also reached the World Cup semi-finals before being eliminated, according to BBC Sport.
Kane’s award followed two Bundesliga titles and a DFB-Pokal with Bayern, USA TODAY reported. His scoring across club and international matches put him among the leading candidates before the ceremony; CBS Sports named him alongside Mbappé and Yamal in its preview of the vote.
First English winner since Michael Owen
The ceremony marked 70 years since Stanley Matthews won the inaugural Ballon d’Or. Matthews was the first English recipient; Owen had been the most recent before Kane. The London setting gave the anniversary a direct link to English football history as Kane collected an individual award that had eluded him despite his earlier scoring achievements.
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Sources and context
- England star Harry Kane wins first Ballon d'OrUSA TODAY Sports (republished by Yahoo Sports)
- Harry Kane: Bayern Munich and England striker wins Ballon d'Or after record seasonBBC Sport
- Footy Fix: Who will win Ballon d'Or as Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi vie for prizeCBS Sports
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