England striker Harry Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, was officially announced as the winner of the 2026 Ballon d'Or on Monday night in London, beating Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal for the coveted trophy.
The 33‑year‑old forward secured the accolade after a prolific 2025/26 campaign in which he found the back of the net 73 times across club and international fixtures. The award ceremony took place in London, marking the first time the prize has been presented there since the pandemic‑affected 2020 edition was cancelled. Kane’s triumph ends a decade‑long rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the most recent honours.
What made Kane’s season stand out?
Kane’s 73 goals included 45 in the Bundesliga, 18 in the UEFA Champions League and ten for the England national team. His consistency helped Bayern Munich clinch both the German league title and the Champions League, while England reached the semi‑finals of the European Championship.
Who were the runners‑up?
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé finished second, having scored 68 goals in all competitions, while Barcelona’s 19‑year‑old prodigy Lamine Yamal placed third with 55 goals, making him the youngest player ever to appear on the Ballon d’Or podium.
Historical roll‑call of Ballon d’Or winners
1956 – Stanley Matthews (England)
1957 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
1958 – Raymond Kopa (France)
1959 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
1960 – Luis Suarez (Spain)
1961 – Omar Sivori (Italy)
1962 – Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
1963 – Lev Yashin (USSR)
1964 – Denis Law (Scotland)
1965 – Eusebio (Portugal)
1966 – Bobby Charlton (England)
1967 – Florian Albert (Hungary)
1968 – George Best (Northern Ireland)
1969 – Gianni Rivera (Italy)
1970 – Gerd Muller (Germany)
1971 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1972 – Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
1973 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1974 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1975 – Oleg Blokhin (USSR)
1976 – Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
1977 – Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
1978 – Kevin Keegan (England)
1979 – Kevin Keegan (England)
1980 – Karl‑Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
1981 – Karl‑Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
1982 – Paolo Rossi (Italy)
1983 – Michel Platini (France)
1984 – Michel Platini (France)
1985 – Michel Platini (France)
1986 – Igor Belanov (USSR)
1987 – Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
1988 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1989 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1990 – Lothar Matthäus (Germany)
1991 – Jean‑Pierre Papin (France)
1992 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1993 – Roberto Baggio (Italy)
1994 – Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
1995 – George Weah (Liberia)
1996 – Matthias Sammer (Germany)
1997 – Ronaldo (Brazil)
1998 – Zinedine Zidane (France)
1999 – Rivaldo (Brazil)
2000 – Luis Figo (Portugal)
2001 – Michael Owen (England)
2002 – Ronaldo (Brazil)
2003 – Pavel Nedvěd (Czech Republic)
2004 – Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
2005 – Ronaldinho (Brazil)
2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
2007 – Kaká (Brazil)
2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2009 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2010 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2011 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2012 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2013 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2015 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2018 – Luka Modrić (Croatia)
2019 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2020 – Not awarded because of the COVID‑19 pandemic
2021 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2022 – Karim Benzema (France)
2023 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2024 – Rodri (Spain)
2025 – Ousmane Dembélé (France)
2026 – Harry Kane (England)