The Bayern Munich and England captain received the honour at the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the London Palladium on Monday, October 26, 2026. He beat France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, who finished second, and Spain’s Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, who placed third.

Kane, 33, earned the award following a remarkable 2025/26 campaign in which he scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich. His combined tally for club and country reached 73 goals, alongside eight assists in 65 matches, underlining his impact throughout the season.

The striker helped Bayern secure the Bundesliga title and the German Cup, while finishing as the Bundesliga’s leading scorer for a third consecutive season. He also scored 14 goals in the UEFA Champions League as Bayern progressed to the semi-finals.

Kane’s victory makes him the fifth Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or, following Stanley Matthews in 1956, Bobby Charlton in 1966, Kevin Keegan in 1978 and 1979, and Owen in 2001.

His achievement also ends a 30-year wait for a player from the Bundesliga to win the men’s award. The last was Germany’s Matthias Sammer, who received the honour in 1996 while playing for Borussia Dortmund.

The Bayern forward also collected the Gerd Müller Trophy for the men’s striker of the year, adding another individual honour to a season defined by prolific goalscoring.