2026 Ballon d'Or in London: Harry Kane Wins First Men's Award, First Englishman in 25 Years; Alexia Putellas Takes Women's Prize for Third Time
England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas won the men's and women's Ballon d'Or at the 70th awards ceremony held at the London Palladium in London, England, on October 26. Kane won for the first time, beating Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, to become the first Englishman to take the prize since Michael Owen in 2001; Putellas won the women's award for the third time.
The Ballon d'Or, presented by France Football in partnership with UEFA and voted on by soccer journalists from around the world, marked its 70th anniversary in 2026. The ceremony was held in London for the first time, honoring Stanley Matthews, the England great who won the inaugural award in 1956. The event started late after a rainy, traffic-clogged night in the capital.
Kane, 33, scored 73 goals in 65 matches for club and country in the 2025-26 season. He won the Bundesliga scoring title for a third straight year with 36 goals and set a Bayern single-season record with 61 goals in 51 appearances as Bayern won the league and cup double. At the 2026 World Cup he scored six goals as England finished third. Kane also collected the Gerd Müller Trophy for the year's best striker. Cheered on stage by chants of his name, Kane said winning in London made it extra special, thanked everyone who voted for him, and noted the strength of the field. He is the fifth English winner overall, after Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Michael Owen (2001), and Bayern's first winner since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.
Putellas, 32, captained Barcelona Femení to a quadruple of the league title, two domestic cups and the Women's Champions League last season, before signing for London City Lionesses in England this summer. Accepting the award, she congratulated all the nominees and winners and said the number of Barça players nominated said a lot about the team's season, adding that it was her honor to have been their captain.
Spain and Barcelona dominated the rest of the night: the Kopa Trophies for best young players went to Lamine Yamal and Vicky López, the Yashin Trophies for best goalkeepers to Unai Simón and Cata Coll, and the coaching awards to Spain manager Luis de la Fuente and Barcelona Femení manager Pere Romeu. Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona were named men's and women's clubs of the year, Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award for humanitarian work, and Mexico's Charlyn Corral of Pachuca was named women's striker of the year. Eight of the 13 awards went to Spanish players, coaches or a Spanish club.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Harry Kane 2026年6月27日在2026年世界杯英格兰对巴拿马比赛中带球（资料图，非颁奖典礼画面）。图片：Bryan Berlin，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Harry Kane in action for England against Panama at the 2026 World Cup on June 27, 2026 (file photo, not from the awards ceremony). Photo by Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
