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Harry Kane Wins Ballon d'Or, First English Winner Since 2001
· Confirmed
In Short: Harry Kane, the England captain, won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
Harry Kane, the England captain, won the Ballon d'Or on Monday, marking the first time an English player has claimed the award since Michael Owen in 2001, according to A News (Türkiye) and BBC (United Kingdom).
Kane's victory at the 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony, held at London's Palladium Theatre, made him the fifth English footballer to receive the honor, joining Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Owen, as reported by A News (Türkiye) and BBC (United Kingdom).
The 33-year-old striker enjoyed an outstanding 2025-26 season, scoring 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich, setting a club record for goals in a single campaign, according to A News (Türkiye) and BBC (United Kingdom).
Kane's move to Bayern Munich in 2023 brought the team trophies that had long eluded him, as noted by Geo and Thefalse9. He is the first Bayern Munich player to win the award since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge claimed consecutive titles in 1980 and 1981, according to A News (Türkiye) and Martin Cid Magazine.
In the women's category, Spanish star Alexia Putellas claimed her third Ballon d'Or after previously winning in 2021 and 2022, as reported by A News (Türkiye) and NBC Los Angeles. Putellas, 32, joined Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati as the only other three-time women's Ballon d'Or winners, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The ceremony, held in London, marked the first time the event took place outside Paris in tribute to Stanley Matthews, the English footballer who won the inaugural award in 1956, as reported by A News (Türkiye) and BBC (United Kingdom).
Kane's emotional speech at the ceremony highlighted his journey, stating, “Not many people would have thought that, and maybe even I wouldn’t have thought that I could get this far,” as quoted by Euronews. He also noted, “I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar like some of the guys now,” as quoted by Martin Cid Magazine.
The Ballon d'Or ceremony, now in its 70th year, will hand out 13 trophies to athletes and coaches across both the men's and women's game, as reported by BBC (United Kingdom). The shortlist is then ranked by 100 journalists from around the world, with their rankings combined to decide the winner, according to BBC (United Kingdom).
Kane's victory was announced at 10:50pm UK time, with the Brazilian Ronaldo, a two-time winner, handing over the trophy, as reported by Thefalse9. The ceremony also saw Kane collect the Gerd Müller Trophy as the men’s striker of the year earlier in the evening, according to Thefalse9.
What this adds
The Ballon d'Or ceremony was held at London's Palladium Theatre, marking the first time the event took place outside Paris in tribute to Stanley Matthews, the English footballer who won the inaugural award in 1956.
What's confirmed
- Kane also became the fifth English footballer to receive the honor, joining Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen.
- LONDON: England captain Harry Kane won the Ballon d'Or on Monday after a record-breaking campaign with Bayern Munich, becoming the first Englishman to claim football's top individual honour since Michael Owen in 2001.
What's still developing
- Harry Kane, England's great talisman and captain, is the first to claim football's grandest individual accolade in 25 years after a sensational campaign in Bayern Munich colours - and only the fifth Englishman to ever do so.
- Mbappe, 27, will need to wait longer for his first Ballon d'Or after playing well with Real Madrid and France but not accumulating trophies.
- RELATED — All-time men’s Ballon d’Or winners | Women’s winners Spain’s Alexia Putellas was named winner of the Ballon d’Or Feminin after an excellent year for her country and Barcelona, though she’s since transferred, ironically-enough, to the London City Lionesses.
- Billionaires.Africa said Kane finished ahead of Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, and it described Mbappé as having 58 goals in all competitions.
- Putellas joined Barcelona in 2012 and described her time at the Catalan club as “something special".
- Only Man City and Chelsea have scored more goals since the start of April.
- Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The Women's Super League has never been able to boast a Ballon d'Or winner.
- In the 2016/17 season, Kane single-handedly dragged Spurs to a 2nd-placed finish in the Premier League, falling just short of eventual winners Chelsea.
- No teenager has won the Ballon d’Or in the award’s 70-year history – Yamal is campaigning to become the youngest winner.
- Now, the 19-year-old has set his sights on another big prize to add to his glittering cabinet – the Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual honour.