On Monday 26 October, the Ballon d’Or ceremony took place in London. Harry Kane won the men’s trophy, becoming the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The award is given for individual performances, team performances and achievements, and fair play.
Kane had a prolific 2025-26 season. He scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich and helped them win the domestic treble in Germany. Bayern also won a record-breaking 16 consecutive games at the start of the Bundesliga season. For England, he captained the side to their best World Cup finish since 1966. He scored 12 international goals, six of them at the World Cup, and two of those six were match-winners.
The award has its critics. Some believe it is pointless, and damaging, to single out an individual in a team sport. Others argue that it overrewards attackers, and this year’s top 10 reflects that, with no defenders and only two midfielders. Kylian Mbappé came second, having scored 10 goals in a year when he captained France to the World Cup semi-finals. Lamine Yamal came third and also won the Men’s Young Talent of the Year Award. He is the highest-ranked World Cup winner on the list.
Kane stands out from the other nominees because his rise was gradual rather than explosive. He spent the 2010/11 season in the third tier of English football and worked his way up through the Championship before breaking into the Tottenham Hotspur first team. He did not win a team trophy until 2025 and still has no international trophy. Mbappé and Yamal are significantly younger but have numerous trophies for both club and country.
Kane is a refreshing winner. Recent ceremonies have been overshadowed by Real Madrid’s boycott and by arguments that the award goes to popular players rather than deserving ones. Kane keeps his life away from the pitch extremely private and receives relatively few cards on it. This season, he deserves the award.
Photo by GoRaivis Photography on Unsplash
