For years, the knock on Harry Kane was that he had no trophies. That one is going to be harder to make now.
The 33-year-old England captain and Bayern Munich striker won the 2026 Ballon d'Or on Monday night at the London Palladium. It is the first of his career. Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d'Or Féminin, her third, according to Yahoo Sports.
A Monster Season
According to Yahoo Sports, Kane scored 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern, including 36 in 31 Bundesliga games. As captain, he also led England to third place at the World Cup, the team's best World Cup finish in six decades.
He beat Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal for the award. Yamal finished third after coming second to Ousmane Dembélé last year. He still left with something: his third straight Kopa Trophy for the best player under 21.
Kane also shared Striker of the Year with Mexico and CF Pachuca forward Charlyn Corral.
Yahoo Sports said Kane was emotional on stage. "I'm almost speechless," he said, then thanked his teammates in the audience and his family and called Bayern Munich "an honor to play for."
Here's the moment, from the official Ballon d'Or account:
https://twitter.com/ballondor/status/2114858773101601042
Putellas' Comeback
Putellas won the award in 2021 and 2022. A torn ACL then kept her out for most of two years, Yahoo Sports reported. She is now an attacking midfielder for London City Lionesses and Spain, and she came back to the top in what the outlet called an even more competitive race than the men's.
In her speech, she thanked her family and friends for getting her through the recovery.
"I had a tough time and had to learn to walk again on my knee and you were all there for me, helping me to enjoy the sport again and make me the player I am today," Putellas said.
Three-time winner Aitana Bonmatí wasn't on the shortlist after missing significant time with a broken leg. Other nominees included Manchester City's Khadija "Bunny" Shaw and Barcelona's Ewa Pajor.
A Long Night in London
Getting to the big awards took a while. Yahoo Sports reported that the ceremony started 45 minutes late and dragged on. The audience booed audibly when the broadcast went to a commercial break right before the women's award.
There was also a slip-up before the ceremony. The official Ballon d'Or website posted stories saying Kane, Yamal and Mbappé had each won, hours before the result was announced. The stories appeared to be drafts written in advance for each possible winner, and they were deleted before the ceremony.
Spain Ran the Room
According to Yahoo Sports, eight of the 12 award winners were tied to Spanish clubs or Spain's national teams. Spain's men won their second World Cup this summer. The full list:
- Ballon d'Or: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
- Ballon d'Or Féminin: Alexia Putellas (London City Lionesses, Spain)
- Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain) and Vicky López (Barcelona, Spain)
- Coach of the Year: Luis de la Fuente (Spain men) and Pere Romeu (Barcelona Femení)
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao, Spain) and Cata Coll (Barcelona, Spain)
- Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain (men) and FC Barcelona (women)
- Top scorer: Harry Kane and Charlyn Corral
Elsewhere in the Voting
Lionel Messi finished fifth in what Yahoo Sports said may be his last Ballon d'Or nomination, following his international retirement. Rose Lavelle, the only American on either shortlist, finished 27th out of 30. The USWNT's Lily Yohannes was a finalist for the Kopa Trophy, which went to López.
Then there's Vozinha. The 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper became a fan favorite at the World Cup and earned a Goalkeeper of the Year nomination, losing out to Unai Simón.
Kane has his Ballon d'Or. The trophy jokes are going to need new material.
