Kane ends England's 25-year Ballon d'Or wait - how he bucked the trend — SkimNews
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- Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or, becoming the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001 and the fifth overall, joining Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Owen.
- Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club appearances for Bayern Munich last season, the most by any player in the club’s history and 19 more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues.
- Kane became the first Bayern player to win the Ballon d'Or since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981, despite not winning the World Cup or Champions League, which only four others have done in the past 20 years.
- Kylian Mbappe finished second in the voting, while Lamine Yamal placed third after winning the World Cup with Spain, making him one of the favorites for next year’s award.
- Thomas Tuchel, England’s manager, praised Kane’s win as a 'huge honour' and highlighted his leadership, while Prince William called him a 'brilliant captain' and 'remarkable player'.
- Kane has scored 10 goals in 12 club games and 6 in 4 Nations League matches this season, putting him on pace to challenge for a second consecutive Ballon d'Or if Bayern win a Treble.
Why it matters: Kane’s win shifts the Ballon d'Or precedent by rewarding individual dominance over trophy success, joining Messi and Ronaldo as rare winners without a World Cup or Champions League title that year. With 61 club goals — a figure unmatched in over a decade — he redefines what elite output looks like, giving Bayern and England a benchmark for sustained excellence even in the absence of silverware.
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