England captain Harry Kane has won the Men’s 2026 Ballon d’Or at the 70th anniversary gala staged at the London Palladium, ending a 25-year drought for English football.
Departing from the traditional host city of Paris, the ceremony was relocated to London to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Sir Stanley Matthews claiming the inaugural award in 1956. Co-hosted by French football icon Thierry Henry and broadcaster Kate Scott, the landmark event culminated in Kane receiving the golden sphere from Brazilian football legend Ronaldo Nazário amid chants of celebration from the home crowd.
The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker edged out Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal to become the fifth Englishman in history to claim the prestigious individual honour, following in the footsteps of Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Michael Owen, who last won it in 2001. Kane also collected the Gerd Müller Trophy for Best Striker, becoming the first footballer in history to secure both the primary award and the striker accolade in the same calendar year.
The triumph rewarded an extraordinary 2025/26 campaign in which Kane registered 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country. His prolific form powered Bayern Munich to retain their Bundesliga title as part of a domestic treble, whilst securing his third consecutive Bundesliga top-scorer canon and a second career European Golden Shoe. In an emotional acceptance speech, Kane paid tribute to his parents, his brother, and his wife Kate, whilst expressing gratitude to Tottenham Hotspur for developing his career from age 11.
Beyond the main prize, Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal made history by claiming his third consecutive Kopa Trophy for the world’s best young talent, whilst Spain and Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simón won the Yashin Trophy following seven clean sheets in Spain’s World Cup campaign. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was named Men’s Coach of the Year, and Paris Saint-Germain took home the Men’s Club of the Year award.
England and Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka was awarded the Socrates Trophy for humanitarian work, presented by global Afrobeats icon Burna Boy. Saka was recognised for financing life-changing surgeries for disadvantaged children across Africa through the BigShoe charity foundation, moving the auditorium as he read a letter from a 14-year-old Rwandan beneficiary whose vision was fully restored.
