Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d'Or in London, capturing the men's game's highest individual honour 70 years after Sir Stanley Matthews became the first player to lift the trophy.
The 33-year-old Bayern Munich forward finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal in the voting. The award was presented at a London gala celebrating the 70th anniversary of the trophy, first won by Matthews in 1956.
Kane's victory marks a crowning moment after years without major silverware before moving to Germany. At Tottenham Hotspur, his career was largely a solo journey, including a Champions League final loss at the Metropolitano in Madrid. He also suffered two European Championship final defeats with England, most recently against Spain.
Despite those final defeats, Kane has never stopped scoring for club or country. Last season, he struck 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern Munich and added 12 goals in 14 appearances for England.
Kane has long been England's all-time top scorer, now with 91 goals in 125 caps. He sits well ahead of Wayne Rooney, who scored 53 goals in 120 matches, five fewer games than Kane but 38 fewer goals. Matthews scored 11 goals in his long England career.
Stanley Matthews Tribute and Award History
Organisers took the gala to London to honour Matthews, who inaugurated the award in 1956. Matthews was already 41 when he won, receiving it more as recognition for his career than for being the best player that year.
Behind Matthews came Alfredo Di Stefano and Raymond Kopa, who shared the next three trophies. Di Stefano won two and Kopa won one, with Kopa now lending his name to the under-21 trophy. Kane did not have to wait as long as Matthews, though he had to join Bayern to win his first team title.
Kopa Trophy and Lamine Yamal Dedication
Yamal, who finished third behind Kane and Mbappe, took consolation by winning the Kopa Trophy as the best young player for the third consecutive year. The Barcelona winger stood out in London, wearing an enormous flower on his suit.
Yamal dedicated the award to Barcelona and Spain teammate Pau Cubarsi, saying he wished Cubarsi were there and that the trophy belonged to him because he deserved it. Yamal expressed his joy at winning for a third year, thanking his club and national team.
Yamal attended the ceremony with his entire family, including his girlfriend, his father, his mother, his mother's partner, and his younger brother Keyne.
Spanish World Cup History and Past Precedents
The ceremony recalled Spain's long history with the award. After Matthews won in 1956, Spain took three of the next four trophies, with two for Di Stefano and one for Luis Suarez, alongside Kopa's win. Spain then waited 64 years for another men's winner, when Rodri lifted the trophy.
Real Madrid won their first European Cup under Di Stefano in 1956, and 2026 brought Spain their second World Cup title. Yet despite three Spaniards finishing in the top ten, the award went to Kane.
The vote mirrored 2010, when Spanish World Cup winners Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta were runners-up to Lionel Messi, who won through momentum as the world's best player despite not being the best that year. Di Stefano was later recognised with the Super Ballon d'Or as the 20th century's best player, an era when the trophy was restricted to European players before opening up in the 1990s.
Gala Awards and Spanish Dominance
Spain was by far the most awarded nation at the gala, which was hosted by Thierry Henry and British journalist Kate Scott, the face of Champions League coverage on CBS.
Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or as best female player, celebrating her 150th international cap with a goal and an assist. Barcelona was named best women's club, and their manager Pere Romeu won best women's coach.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was named best men's coach, hailed in the name of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Cata Coll and Unai Simon swept the goalkeeper awards, while Barcelona midfielder Vicky Lopez won best young female player.
Emotional Speeches by Vicky Lopez and Unai Simon
Lopez gave an emotional speech remembering her mother, who died of cancer in 2018. The Barcelona player said she felt her mother with every step she took, even though she was no longer by her side, and thanked her for teaching her to fight and never give up.
Simon gave an exemplary speech upon receiving the best men's goalkeeper trophy. The World Cup winner said he was tremendously grateful to his parents and brother for raising him, and thanked his girlfriend for being an oasis of calm. He also thanked his childhood friend group, who make him realise how privileged they are to live the life they have.
Simon thanked all his coaches, specifically naming Luis Enrique and De la Fuente, and praised his teammates. He offered special thanks to Athletic Club colleagues Oscar de Marcos, Inigo Lekue, and Gorka Guruzeta, calling them three of the most special people football had given him.
Simon closed by honouring the late Koldo Asua, saying Asua taught him to understand football differently, because beyond winning matches, titles, and individual trophies, what matters is the legacy left behind. Simon said he had the best example at home in Athletic Club legend Jose Angel Iribar, known as El Chopo.
