Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas secured the top honours at the seventieth Ballon d’Or ceremony. The event took place at the London Palladium, marking the first time the prestigious football awards were hosted in the British capital.
Kane claimed the men’s prize for the first time in his career. The thirty-three-year-old forward scored seventy-three goals in sixty-five appearances for Bayern Munich and England during the 2025-26 campaign.
His tally included sixty-one goals in fifty-one matches for Bayern Munich, helping the German club secure a domestic double. The England captain also netted six times at the 2026 World Cup to guide his country to a third-place finish.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid and France finished in second place in the voting, while Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Spain took third position.
Kane became the fifth English player to lift the trophy. He joins a list that includes Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Michael Owen, who was the last Englishman to win the prize in 2001. The striker succeeded Paris Saint-Germain player Ousmane Dembele, who won the award in 2025.
In the women’s category, Putellas won her third Ballon d’Or. The thirty-two-year-old midfielder previously won the award in 2021 and 2022, matching the record held by her former Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmati.
Putellas captained Barcelona to a quadruple during the 2025-26 season. The Spanish side captured Liga F, the Copa de la Reina, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Women’s Champions League.
She was named the Champions League Player of the Season and helped Spain win the Women’s Nations League. After her spell with Barcelona, Putellas joined the London City Lionesses in July.
Lamine Yamal won the Men’s Young Talent of the Year award for the third consecutive year. Vicky Lopez secured the women’s young talent honour for the second successive year.
Luis de la Fuente received the Men’s Coach of the Year award after winning the World Cup with Spain. Pere Romeu of Barcelona was named Women’s Coach of the Year.
Unai Simon of Athletic Bilbao won the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award. Cata Coll of Barcelona claimed the women’s goalkeeping honour.
Kane also collected the Men’s Striker of the Year award. Charlyn Corral became the first Mexican player to win the Women’s Striker of the Year award.
Barcelona was named Women’s Club of the Year, and Paris Saint-Germain won the men’s club award. Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award for his humanitarian work, which included funding one hundred and twenty medical operations for children in Kano, Nigeria.
