Harry Kane wins England's first Ballon d'Or in 25 years

News
Sport

Author: AFP,
Publish Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2026, 12:15pm

England and Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane speaks on stage after receiving the Gerd Muller Trophy for the Best Striker during the 2026 Ballon d'Or award ceremony. Photo / AFP

England striker Harry Kane has become England’s first Ballon d’Or winner in 25 years.

Bayern Munich and England forward Kane struck a remarkable 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season, propelling the German giants to a league and cup double.

Only four England players have won the Ballon d’Or. Michael Owen was the last to triumph in 2001, following in the footsteps of Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan.

Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for a stellar season leading the all-conquering Barcelona side to four trophies. Putellas, 32, who has since moved to London City Lionesses, claimed the award for the third time after successes in 2021 and 2022.

Spain men’s head coach Luis de la Fuente took out the men’s coach of the year after leading the side to World Cup glory in the US.

“Teamwork makes us invincible. This is a great honour,” de la Fuente said after collecting the award at a ceremony in London.

“The secret is to work with very generous players that put the team first. We’ve got such an amazing pool of talent, the best in the world, so as a coach I have such a great amount of talent to work with. So this is their success,” he added.

- AFP