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Harry Kane Wins 2026 Ballon d’Or, Ending England Drought

By Drooid · Oct 27, 2026, 22:04 UTC · How we work

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Summary

Harry Kane won the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or, giving England its first triumph in 25 years.
Cristiano Ronaldo presented the award at the London Palladium ceremony.
Harry Kane finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé (second) and Lamine Yamal (third).
Downing Street praised the extraordinary achievement and suggested a knighthood could follow.
Harry Kane scored 73 goals in 65 club and country matches last season.

Summary

Yamal claimed teammate Pau Cubarsi actually deserved the Kopa Trophy instead of him.
France Football editor Vincent Garcia said Mbappé led voting before Kane narrowly surpassed him.
Recent Ballon d’Or vote gaps were 321 in 2025 and 105 in 2023.
The vote gap was 356 in the 2022 Ballon d’Or.

History

After Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966) and Kevin Keegan (1978-79) lifted England’s Ballon d’Or drought, Michael Owen secured the award on 18 December 2001 following Liverpool’s cup treble. The honour remained England’s sole triumph until Harry Kane repeated it in 2026, a win celebrated by UEFA and prompting calls for a knighthood.

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Historical Context

After Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966) and Kevin Keegan (1978-79) lifted England’s Ballon d’Or drought, Michael Owen secured the award on 18 December 2001 following Liverpool’s cup treble. The honour remained England’s sole triumph until Harry Kane repeated it in 2026, a win celebrated by UEFA and prompting calls for a knighthood.

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