Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas Lead Ballon d’Or 2026 Winners

Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas were the headline winners at the Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony in London, with Kane taking the men’s prize and Putellas claiming the women’s award for a third time. The ceremony, held at the London Palladium, also recognised leading young players, goalkeepers, coaches, clubs and scorers from the past season.

Kane became the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or in 25 years, following Michael Owen’s success in 2001. The Bayern Munich forward finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, 2024 winner Rodri and eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient Lionel Messi in the voting.

Putellas matched the record for women’s Ballon d’Or victories after adding the 2026 award to her previous wins in 2021 and 2022. The Spanish midfielder ended the three-year reign of her Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati, who was absent from this year’s shortlist after breaking her leg in December.

Kane’s scoring season earns historic English honour

Kane’s award followed a season in which he scored 73 goals for club and country and finished as Europe’s top scorer. He led Bayern to a Bundesliga and German Cup double, scoring a hat trick against Stuttgart in the cup final, while the German club also reached the Champions League semifinals.

For England, Kane scored six times at the World Cup to move past Gary Lineker as the national team’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament. England lost to Argentina in the semifinals before beating Mbappe’s France in the third-place match, securing the country’s best World Cup finish in 60 years.

Speaking after receiving the award, the 33-year-old reflected on the difficult moments earlier in his career and encouraged younger players to keep working through setbacks. Kane said his journey had not been straightforward and pointed to resilience, determination and self-belief as key parts of his progress.

He also thanked teammates, coaches and family, including his wife Kate. England coach Thomas Tuchel praised Kane’s leadership and said the national team was fortunate to have him as its leader.

The event’s London setting carried added significance for Kane. The ceremony was held in the city for the first time, 70 years after England’s Stanley Matthews became the inaugural Ballon d’Or winner in 1956. Fans gathered outside the Palladium and remained after the ceremony to greet Kane as he left the theatre.

Putellas returns to the top as award list is completed

Putellas received the women’s prize after leading her former club Barcelona to multiple trophies last season, including the Women’s Champions League. She also helped Spain win the Women’s Nations League in December before joining London City Lionesses in the offseason.

The 32-year-old had previously won back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards before suffering an ACL injury, during which Bonmati rose to prominence and won three consecutive women’s prizes through 2025. Putellas described her 14 seasons at Barcelona as something special and urged young players to pursue the game with love, passion and belief in themselves.

Lamine Yamal collected the men’s Kopa Trophy for the third straight year, while Vicky Lopez won the women’s Kopa Trophy. Unai Simon and Cata Coll were named the men’s and women’s Yashin Trophy winners respectively.

Luis de la Fuente won the men’s Coach of the Year award and Pere Romeu took the women’s coaching prize. Paris Saint-Germain was named men’s Club of the Year, with FC Barcelona receiving the women’s club award. Kane also won the men’s Gerd Muller Trophy, Charlyn Corral took the women’s scoring award, and Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award.

The full list underlined a night split between individual achievement and team recognition, led by Kane’s breakthrough as England’s first men’s Ballon d’Or winner since 2001 and Putellas’ return to the summit of the women’s game.