Harry Kane, Alexia Putellas win 2026 Ballon d’Or

• England’s star striker Harry Kane and Spain’s midfielder Alexia Putellas won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, football’s highest individual honour on October 26.

• At just 19 years of age, Spain’s Lamine Yamal became the first footballer in history to win the Men’s Young Talent of the Year award three times in a row.

• The Barca forward lifted the trophy honouring the world’s best footballer under 21.

What is the Ballon d’Or?

• Awarded by France Football magazine, the Ballon d’Or has been given out to men annually since 1956.

• It is voted on by a panel of international journalists and is the most prestigious individual honour in the sport.

• Each journalist, one per country, selects 10 players in ranked order, with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points. Unlike FIFA’s awards for the best players each year, fans aren’t part of the voting system.

• The women’s trophy was created in 2018, and both were cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

• Over its long history, the Ballon d’Or has produced some of the game’s most iconic winners. Lionel Messi holds the record with eight victories, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five.

• The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony was held at the London Palladium Theatre in London, marking the first time the event was hosted outside of France.

• The relocation of the ceremony to the British capital pays tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the English winger for Blackpool FC who was the very first winner of the trophy 70 years ago.

Kane scores a remarkable 73 goals in 65 matches

• Kane was the first Englishman to win the prestigious award since Michael Owen in 2001.

• His 36 goals for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga in 2025-26 earned the striker a second European Golden Shoe while his 61 goals across all competitions for the German giant made headlines around the globe.

• There were also 12 strikes for his country to consider across a highly prolific year. 

• He netted six goals at the World Cup and captained England to the semi-finals.

• At 33, Kane adds a Ballon d’Or to a legacy that already placed him among football’s greatest strikers as England’s all-time leading marksman and record World Cup scorer.

• Kane was followed in the voting by France’s Kylian Mbappe, Spain’s Lamine Yamal, Spain’s Rodri and Argentina’s record eight-time winner Lionel Messi.

Third Ballon d’Or for Putellas

• Putellas lifted her third women’s Ballon d’Or, after winning four trophies with Barcelona last season, including the Spanish Super Cup. 

• After 14 seasons and 38 titles for Barcelona, she moved to Women’s Super League side London City Lionesses in July after 14 years at Barca.

• Putellas previously won the award in 2021 and 2022.

• She became the second woman to win it three times after her Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati.

Other awards:

• Men’s Young Talent of the Year: Lamine Yamal (Spain and Barcelona)

• Women's Young Talent of the Year: Vicky Lopez (Spain and Barcelona)

• Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Unai Simon (Spain and Athletic Bilbao)

• Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Cata Coll (Spain and Barcelona)

• Men’s Coach of the Year: Luis de la Fuente (Spain)

• Women’s Coach of the Year: Pere Romeu (Barcelona)

• Men’s Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain

• Women’s Club of the Year: Barcelona

• Socrates Award for humanitarian work off the pitch: Arsenal star Bukayo Saka for using his influence to help children and people in vulnerable situations.