Harry Kane just won the Ballon d'Or. Did he deserve it?
Why it hits youIt's England's first winner since 2001, and the row over who deserved it, goals or trophies, is all over your feed today.
Harry Kane has won football's biggest individual prize, the first English player to do it in 25 years. He beat Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal. Not everyone agrees he should have.
The Facts
What everyone agrees on
Before anyone spins it. Every one of these is checkable.
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Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium on Monday night. Kylian Mbappé came second and Lamine Yamal third. Sky Sports ↗
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He's the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001, and the fifth ever after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen. Sky Sports ↗
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Kane scored 73 goals for club and country last season: 61 for Bayern Munich and 12 for England. Sky Sports ↗
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Bayern won the German league and cup. Kane scored six goals at the World Cup as England finished third, their best since 1966. Bundesliga ↗
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Mbappé scored 58 goals and won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10. Yamal scored 25, made 20 assists and won the World Cup with Spain. Sky Sports ↗
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The winner is chosen by 100 journalists, one from each of the top 100 countries in FIFA's men's rankings. Bundesliga ↗
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Kane, 33, is the first player from a German club to win it since Matthias Sammer in 1996. Bundesliga ↗
Every Side · 1 of 3
The case for Kane
73 goals. Only Messi has ever scored more in a season
Kane scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England last season, the second-best season in European football history behind Lionel Messi's 82. He won the German league and cup and scored six goals as England came third at the World Cup, their best finish since 1966. Supporters say no one was more consistent, and that a late-blooming career deserved its moment.
- Jamie Carragher
- Thomas Tuchel, England manager
- Bayern Munich
Side labels are our editorial calls for now. How we'll rate lean
Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · England v Panama, 27 June 2026 ↗
Every Side · 2 of 3
The case for Mbappé and Yamal
The biggest trophies should have decided it
Mbappé outscored Kane at the World Cup, winning the Golden Boot with 10 goals, and topped the Champions League scoring charts too. Yamal won the World Cup and the Spanish league with Barcelona, and made more assists than Kane or Mbappé. Spain's AS newspaper argued that with so little between them, “the most prestigious competition of the season should have been granted the tiebreaker”.
- AS and Marca
- Yamal and Mbappé fans
- Spain's Ballon d'Or voter
Side labels are our editorial calls for now. How we'll rate lean
Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · France v Spain, World Cup 2026 ↗
Every Side · 3 of 3
The verdict
Goals beat trophies this year, in a very open race
Kane scored more than anyone and went furthest in the Champions League, while no rival had a perfect season. Mbappé won nothing with Real Madrid or France, and Yamal missed the end of the season injured and scored once at the World Cup. Even much of the Spanish press, while disappointed, praised Kane's career.
- Sky Sports
- Mundo Deportivo
- Bundesliga
Side labels are our editorial calls for now. How we'll rate lean
Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · World Cup final, 19 July 2026 ↗
The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
Spain won the World Cup, and missed out again
Marca pointed out it's the second time Spain has won the World Cup without a Spanish player winning the Ballon d'Or that year, just like 2010. Yamal had a quiet tournament after a hamstring injury, and Spain's own voter says no Spanish player stood out from the rest.
Mirror (via AOL) ↗Sky Sports ↗Goal ↗
Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · World Cup final, 19 July 2026 ↗The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
Mbappé had the bigger numbers where it mattered most
Fans celebrating Kane's 73 goals rarely mention that Mbappé scored more at the World Cup and in the Champions League. He's now the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 22. What he didn't have was a trophy.
The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
It's 100 people's opinion, and the full votes aren't out yet
Spain's voter, AS editor José Félix Díaz, says he had the same top three but in a different order. Each journalist's ballot will be published on Saturday, so expect the argument to start all over again.
The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
Nobody thought he'd be a superstar
Kane was sent out on loan to lower-league clubs again and again early in his career. “I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar,” he said last night. It's the part of the story that matters most if you're 16 and not the best player in your team.
Your Call
- The case for Kane: not yet
- The case for Mbappé and Yamal: not yet
- The verdict: not yet
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Photo: YantsImages / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · England v Ghana, World Cup 2026 ↗Receipts
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Hero image: Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · England v Ghana, World Cup 2026 ↗
By No Glaze News · published