Ballon d'Or 2026: Does Harry Kane's win satisfy everyone?

Kane scored 73 goals across all competitions in 2025-26, winning the award ahead of Mbappé and Yamal in a closely contested race.

Harry Kane has been crowned the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner, announced Monday in London. The 33-year-old English striker scored 73 goals across all competitions for club and country during the 2025-26 season — a tally only Messi has matched in recent football history — narrowly edging out Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal in what proved to be an open contest.

Kane reached the Champions League semi-finals with Bayern Munich before losing to PSG, and finished third in the World Cup with England, scoring six goals in the tournament. Though he did not win the Bundesliga player of the year, Champions League best player, or World Cup award, analysts on RMC's After Foot praised his consistency and all-around play. Polo Breitner noted Kane's exceptional season "from first to last day" across all competitions, comparing his evolution to Benzema's style — not just a goalscorer but a complete forward who creates for teammates.

Unlike his main rivals Mbappé and Yamal, who campaigned actively for the award, Kane made few public statements about the Ballon d'Or, with commentators suggesting his humility and lack of tabloid controversy may have worked in his favour. The award represents recognition of individual excellence in a year when Spain won the World Cup and other major trophies were distributed among different nations.