Ballon d'Or: Harry Kane beats Yamal and Mbappe Best Men's Footballer of the Year

England captain and Bayern Munich talisman Harry Kane has officially been crowned the best player in the world, winning the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or following a season of unprecedented goalscoring dominance and silverware.

The 33-year-old striker claimed the sport's most prestigious individual honour at a glittering ceremony held at the London Palladium on Monday, making the milestone even more special as he received the accolade in his home country.

Kane's triumph ends a 25-year wait for English football, as he becomes the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.

Kane's victory was built upon an extraordinary 2025/26 season. He amassed an astonishing 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country, which also earned him the Gerd Müller Trophy on the night.

For Bayern Munich alone, he netted 61 goals in 51 competitive matches, finishing as the top scorer in Europe's top five leagues.

His relentless finishing fired the Bavarian giants to a domestic double, winning both the 2025/26 Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. He also guided the England national team to a third-place finish at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, cementing his status as the premier striker on the planet.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé finished as the runner-up in second place, while Barcelona teenage sensation Lamine Yamal took the third spot on the podium.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri finished in fourth, narrowly missing out on the top three. The rest of the top ten featured Inter Miami's Lionel Messi (5th), PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (6th), PSG's Ousmane Dembélé (7th), Manchester City's Erling Haaland (8th), Bayern Munich's Michael Olise (9th), and PSG's Fabián Ruiz (10th).