Harry Kane wins Ballon d'Or as first English recipient since 2001

Bayern Munich striker and England captain Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or award at a ceremony held at the Palladium Theatre in London on Monday. BBC News, RTÉ and the Daily Mail reported that Kane beat competitors including Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to win the honour presented by France Football. RTÉ also reported that Spain's Alexia Putellas won the top women's award at the event. [1][2][3][6][8][9]

BBC News, RTÉ and the Daily Mail reported that Kane is the first English player to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. According to BBC News, Kane is the fifth Englishman to receive the Ballon d'Or, joining Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan, while Denis Law and George Best are the only other winners from the United Kingdom. [1][3][6]

According to BBC News, Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club matches for Bayern Munich last season, marking the highest total a Bayern player has ever recorded in one campaign. RTÉ reported that Kane scored 73 goals across all competitions for both club and country during the season as Bayern Munich completed a domestic league and cup double. BBC Sport noted that the award's official website prematurely published an article claiming Kane had won more than four hours before the formal announcement. [1][2][3]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, England team-mate Declan Rice had backed Kane to win the award following a Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Arsenal. Kane is Tottenham Hotspur's all-time top goalscorer with 280 goals and holds the record for the England national team with 91 goals. [12][14]