Harry Kane wins the Ballon d'Or: his emotional speech, the full top 10 and Alexia Putellas' third title

Harry Kane is the best player in the world, at least according to the 2026 Ballon d’Or vote. The Bayern Munich striker and England captain won the 70th edition of the award at the London Palladium on Monday night, beating Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal. He is the first Englishman to win it since Michael Owen in 2001.

Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or Féminin for the third time, The Guardian reported.

The win drew wide attention in the US and around the world, and the day-after story is about how Kane got there, what he said and where everyone else finished.

Why Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or

Kane, 33, scored 73 goals for club and country during the voting period, according to The Independent and Sports Mole. Sports Mole also counted eight assists.

Goal breakdown per Sports Mole. The Guardian’s live blog gave a different tally, so treat exact totals as approximate.

He won the German league and cup double with Bayern, who reached the Champions League semifinals before losing to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. He then led England to the World Cup semifinals, where they lost to Argentina, before beating France for bronze, England’s best World Cup finish since 1966, The Independent said.

Sports Mole reported that his 61 club goals broke Bayern’s single-season record, passing Robert Lewandowski and Gerd Müller, and that he is now England’s top scorer at World Cups with 14.

The voting period ran from Aug. 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, the day of the World Cup final. One hundred journalists voted, ranking players on individual performances, team performances and titles, and class and fair play, Sports Mole said.

What Harry Kane said in his speech

Kane spoke for roughly 12 minutes and held back tears, The Independent reported. He opened with “Wow, wow, wow. I’m almost speechless.”

He thanked Bayern teammates in the room, including Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano, and sent his best wishes to manager Vincent Kompany, who he said was at home “or I think still in the hospital.” He also thanked England coach Thomas Tuchel and Tottenham Hotspur, where he joined at 11 years old. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without Tottenham, for sure,” he said.

The most personal moment was for his wife, Kate. “I actually felt like you wanted this more than me myself,” he said. “Here it is, we’ve done it!”

He closed with a message for young players: “My journey, it wasn’t straightforward. I wasn’t the kid who went straight to the top. I had to experience the downs.”

Ballon d’Or 2026 rankings: the top 10

Sports Mole published the full men’s ranking:

Last year’s winner, Dembélé, fell to seventh. Jude Bellingham finished 11th and Declan Rice 15th.

Alexia Putellas wins her third Ballon d’Or

Putellas, the Spain midfielder listed by The Guardian with Barcelona and London City Lionesses, said she was speechless and called the award a prize “for Barcelona.” She thanked her teammates, the club’s fans and her family for supporting her through injuries.

She then spoke in English to young players: “If you want to play football, play football, it doesn’t matter if you’re a boy, a girl, or where you come from. Don’t listen if someone tells you you can’t do it.”

Other winners

• Gerd Müller Trophy (top striker): Harry Kane and Charlyn Corral
• Club of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain (men) and Barcelona (women)
• Sócrates Award: Bukayo Saka, for his Big Shoe charity work
• Kopa Trophy, Yashin Trophy and Coach of the Year: see our earlier coverage

FAQ

Earlier coverage: What time is the Ballon d'Or ceremony? 2026 start time, award schedule and how to watch (Oct 26)