Harry Kane wins Ballon d’Or as he beats Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to ultimate prize

Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or at the award ceremony in London on Monday evening. The Bayern Munich superstar has become the first Englishman to win the prestigious trophy in 25 years. Michael Owen was the last England international to claim the award in 2001, with Kane joining him in the history books. “I’m almost speechless. (Luckily) I have this list here,” Kane said upon receiving the award. “Thank you to France Football, to the Ballon d’Or for putting on this amazing event. Being here in London has made it extra special. It looked like a good omen for me tonight so thank you very much. “Thank you to everyone who voted for me, I can imagine it was really tough this year, some of the incredible players I was up against, some of my teammates, some world-class players in the room tonight.” Kane went on to thank his Bayern Munich teammates as well as manager Vincent Kompany, continuing: “The way you guys push me, the way we compete, me against (Dayot Upamecano) in training every week, it makes me a better player, makes me want to improve. “To Vinny (Kompany), I think he’s at home or still in the hospital — wishing you very well and hope this has given you a bit of energy.” And the club where it all began for him and where he became a legend, Tottenham, also got a shoutout. He said: “I want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur . I wouldn’t be where I am today without Tottenham. “I was there from when I was 11 and the club and all the coaches helped me to live my dreams and all of those memories and those ups and downs have led me to where I am today.” Kane finished by saying: “It’s an honour to play for Bayern Munich. To represent you is a real privilege and I’m glad to be bringing this trophy back to Bayern Munich for sure. “To all of my England teammates — Bukayo (Saka) is here tonight representing England — again the same. We had a special year. It wasn’t the perfect year but we had a lot of good moments. “We built a great bond together, a lot of togetherness, the way we trained, the way we played, the togetherness in the hotel at the World Cup. “It was truly an honour to captain you, lead you, it makes me extremely proud. This one is for all of us.” Kane’s magical 2026 The 33-year-old scored a stunning 73 goals in 65 matches for Bayern and England combined during the 2025/26 season. He won the Bundesliga title at club level, breaking endless records as well as lifting the German Cup and German Super Cup, while also captaining the Three Lions to the World Cup semi-finals . 54 goals from his incredible tally have come in 2026 alone, along with 13 assists in all competitions for Bayern. Mbappe and Yamal miss out Second-placed Mbappe missed out on a career-first Ballon d’Or despite scoring 58 goals in 60 games in the 2025/26 season. The Real Madrid superstar also won the Golden Boot at the World Cup this summer as France reached the semi-finals, becoming the tournament’s all-time top scorer . He didn’t win a single trophy last term, and has been beaten by Kane at the ceremony. At 19 years old, Yamal could have become the youngest winner of the Ballon d’Or ever after winning the World Cup with Spain this summer, although he did claim get a consolation prize in his third successive Kopa Trophy. Yamal won the La Liga title and Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona , scoring 25 goals and providing 20 assist in 2025/26. His success with La Roja on the international stage in the USA did not give him the edge over his competitors. 2026 Ballon d’Or awards winners There were a series of other awards handed out during the ceremony with Alexia Putellas winning the Women’s Ballon d’Or prize, this being her third crown. Kane also won the Gerd Muller Trophy, the award given for the best men’s striker in the game, with Mexico’s Charlyn Corral winning the female equivalent. The first award of the night was given to Yamal, who won the Men’s Young Talent of the Year prize for a third year running. Fellow Spaniard and Barcelona star Vicky Lopez won Women’s Young Talent of the Year. There was more sweeping success for Spain with Unai Simon winning the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award and compatriot Cata Coll named Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year. It was Spanish glory with the coach awards too; Spain men’s boss Luis De La Fuente and Barcelona women’s manager Pere Romeu emerging victorious. Barcelona won the Women’s Club of the Year but the Men’s Club of the Year was given to Paris Saint-Germain having retained their European crown for a second season running. There was another English winner in Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, who claimed the Socrates Award for his work with the BigShoe charity, which funds medical surgeries for children. Ballon d'Or awards winners Men’s Ballon d’Or – Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England) Women’s Ballon d’Or – Alexia Putellas (London City Lionesses/Spain) Men’s Young Talent of the Year – Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain) Women’s Young Talent of the Year – Vicky Lopez (Barcelona/Spain) Men’s Coach of the Year – Luis De La Fuente (Spain) Women’s Coach of the Year – Pere Romeu (Barcelona/Spain) Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year – Cata Coll (Barcelona/Spain) Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year – Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao/Spain) Socrates Award – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal/England) Women’s Club of the Year – Barcelona Men’s Club of the Year – Paris Saint-Germain Women’s Striker of the Year – Charlyn Corral (Pachuda/Mexico) Men’s Striker of the Year – Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England)