Harry Kane has received the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, becoming the first English player to secure the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The England and Bayern Munich striker was proclaimed as the winner on October 26 during the 70th Ballon d’Or awards night at the London Palladium.
Night of London
This time, the Ballon d’Or ceremony took place in London as a tribute to the first person to win the award, Stanley Matthews, back in 1956. Harry Kane managed to outrun Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona to win the trophy. He also won the Gerd Müller Trophy for the best striker.
The Season That Earned the Award
Kane scored 73 goals in 65 matches across club and country. He won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal with Bayern and led England to the semifinals.
This makes Kane’s achievement even more significant because his career has been criticised for many years for not winning any major trophies. The Ballon d’Or is awarded by a French publication, France Football and its winners are selected by a group of journalists from across the globe. Thus, it serves as a sort of opinion poll and not an official ranking.
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