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Harry Kane Ends 25-Year Wait for Ballon d’Or

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026, 00:22 UTC · How we work

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Summary

Harry Kane became the first Englishman in 25 years to win Ballon d'Or.
He scored 73 goals for Bayern and England in the 2025-26 season.
Bayern Munich captured the Bundesliga and German Cup double, with Kane hat-trick in the cup final.
Alexia Putellas won third women’s Ballon d’Or after guiding Barcelona to a treble.
She added nine Liga F goals, seven assists, eight Champions League goals and six assists.

Summary

The ceremony nominated ten men’s young talents but only five women’s, exposing gender-parity gaps.
Lucy Bronze was the sole female presenter of a women’s award, highlighting limited female representation.
The voting window (3 Aug 2025-19 Jul 2026) excluded the 2026 WAFCON, preventing African performances from consideration.
Coach Valentine Nguele, who led Cameroon to a WAFCON title, was omitted from coach-of-the-year nominations.

History

The 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Pasadena, United States, drew 90,185 spectators and propelled global interest in women’s football. US Soccer Federation’s post-tournament report recorded a $30 million surge in sponsorships, while UEFA launched its Women’s Champions League the following year. Today’s Ballon d’Or ceremony mirrors that legacy, with Harry Kane’s historic win and Alexia Putellas’s third trophy echoing the 1999 breakthrough’s gender-visibility push. Had the 1999 surge fostered equal nomination standards, today’s five female presenters versus ten male nominees would likely be reduced, spurring reforms.

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Historical Context

The 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Pasadena, United States, drew 90,185 spectators and propelled global interest in women’s football. US Soccer Federation’s post-tournament report recorded a $30 million surge in sponsorships, while UEFA launched its Women’s Champions League the following year. Today’s Ballon d’Or ceremony mirrors that legacy, with Harry Kane’s historic win and Alexia Putellas’s third trophy echoing the 1999 breakthrough’s gender-visibility push. Had the 1999 surge fostered equal nomination standards, today’s five female presenters versus ten male nominees would likely be reduced, spurring reforms.

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