Kane Ends England's 25-Year Wait for Ballon d'Or Glory

Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or on Monday night, and he became the first Englishman to claim the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The Bayern Munich striker collected the 70th edition of the trophy at the London Palladium as the crowd cheered and chanted “Harry”.

Kane beat Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé in a wide-open race for the men’s award. He also took the Gerd Müller Trophy as the men’s striker of the year, a double for the England captain on the night.

“Wow, I’m almost speechless,” an emotional Kane said on stage. He thanked France Football and the Ballon d’Or organisers, then said winning in London felt extra special. “It felt like a good omen,” he said.

The ceremony had its share of chaos before Kane’s moment arrived. Heavy traffic around the Palladium delayed the start, and the official website mistakenly named Kane, Yamal and Mbappé as winners hours before the ceremony.

Kane now joins Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen on the list of English winners. His win ends a quarter-century wait for another English name on the trophy.

Spain and Barcelona dominated the rest of the night. Luis de la Fuente won the men’s coaching award after he guided Spain to the 2026 World Cup. Yamal took his third straight Kopa Trophy, and Alexia Putellas won her third Ballon d’Or Féminin.