Kane Collects Ballon d'Or After 61-Goal Campaign

Harry Kane finally has the individual trophy he had been chasing.

Kane collected the Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in London on Monday, becoming the first English player to win it since Michael Owen in 2001. "Wow, wow, wow!" Kane said from the stage. "I am almost speechless."

The 33-year-old striker delivered 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern Munich across all competitions last season, helping the club secure both the league title and the cup. He finished the campaign as Europe's leading scorer. With England, he added six goals at the World Cup and carried the team to the semi-finals. His combined total for club and country reached 73 goals.

Voters selected Kane ahead of several high-profile campaigns. Kylian Mbappe set new World Cup scoring records, and Lamine Yamal started for a Spain side that won the World Cup. Kane took the honor after maintaining his scoring rate throughout the season without extended dry spells.

His path to the award ran through Tottenham Hotspur, where he first struggled for playing time and later became a regular. Loan spells followed before he established himself as a striker capable of both finishing and setting up teammates. He moved to Bayern in 2023 and has since added major club trophies to an England record as the national team's all-time leading scorer and leading World Cup scorer.

In the women's award, Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas took the Ballon d'Or Féminin for the third time. She won the treble with Barcelona in 2025-26 along with the Spanish Super Cup. Putellas left Barcelona in July after 14 years and now plays for London City Lionesses in the Women's Super League.