OFFICIAL: Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or, becoming first English winner since Michael Owen

The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony took place at the London Palladium on October 26, with 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane winning the prestigious award for the first time in his career.

The evaluation period for the 2026 Ballon d'Or ran from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, concluding with the FIFA World Cup final. During this period, Kane made 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and England, scoring 73 goals and providing six assists.

At club level, Kane made 51 appearances for Bayern Munich, registering 61 goals and seven assists. He helped the German giants win the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and German Super Cup, while also reaching the Champions League semi-finals.

His outstanding performances earned him both the Bundesliga Golden Boot and European Golden Shoe, as well as places in the Bundesliga and Champions League Teams of the Season.

For England, Kane continued to lead the national team as captain, making 14 appearances and recording 12 goals and one assist. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he scored six goals and provided one assist in seven matches, helping England secure a third-place finish.

Kane becomes the first Bayern Munich player to win the Ballon d'Or since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981, ending a 45-year wait. He is the fourth Bayern player to receive the award, bringing the club's total to six Ballon d'Or victories.

He is also the first Bundesliga player to claim the award since Matthias Sammer in 1996, becoming the seventh Bundesliga player to win the trophy and securing the league's 10th Ballon d'Or.

Furthermore, Kane becomes the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001, ending a 25-year drought. He is the fifth English player in history to receive the prestigious honor.

The inaugural Ballon d'Or was awarded to Stanley Matthews in 1956. This year's ceremony marked the 70th edition of the award and the first time the event was held outside France.

Previous Ballon d'Or winners

1956: Stanley Matthews

1957: Alfredo Di Stéfano

1958: Raymond Kopa

1959: Alfredo Di Stéfano

1960: Luis Suárez

1961: Omar Sívori

1962: Josef Masopust

1963: Lev Yashin

1964: Denis Law

1965: Eusébio

1966: Bobby Charlton

1967: Flórián Albert

1968: George Best

1969: Gianni Rivera

1970: Gerd Müller

1971: Johan Cruyff

1972: Franz Beckenbauer

1973: Johan Cruyff

1974: Johan Cruyff

1975: Oleg Blokhin

1976: Franz Beckenbauer

1977: Allan Simonsen

1978: Kevin Keegan

1979: Kevin Keegan

1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

1982: Paolo Rossi

1983: Michel Platini

1984: Michel Platini

1985: Michel Platini

1986: Igor Belanov

1987: Ruud Gullit

1988: Marco van Basten

1989: Marco van Basten

1990: Lothar Matthäus

1991: Jean-Pierre Papin

1992: Marco van Basten

1993: Roberto Baggio

1994: Hristo Stoichkov

From 1995, eligibility was expanded to players of all nationalities playing for European clubs.

1995: George Weah

1996: Matthias Sammer

1997: Ronaldo Nazário

1998: Zinedine Zidane

1999: Rivaldo

2000: Luís Figo

2001: Michael Owen

2002: Ronaldo Nazário

2003: Pavel Nedvěd

2004: Andriy Shevchenko

2005: Ronaldinho

2006: Fabio Cannavaro

From 2007, eligibility was expanded to professional footballers worldwide.

2007: Kaká

2008: Cristiano Ronaldo

2009: Lionel Messi

From 2010 to 2015, the award was jointly presented with FIFA as the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

2010: Lionel Messi

2011: Lionel Messi

2012: Lionel Messi

2013: Cristiano Ronaldo

2014: Cristiano Ronaldo

2015: Lionel Messi

From 2016, France Football resumed presenting the Ballon d'Or independently.

2016: Cristiano Ronaldo

2017: Cristiano Ronaldo

2018: Luka Modrić

2019: Lionel Messi

The award was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021: Lionel Messi

2022: Karim Benzema

2023: Lionel Messi

2024: Rodri

2025: Ousmane Dembélé

2026: Harry Kane