Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or after 73-goal year
The verdict has been announced. On Monday evening, Harry Kane was crowned Ballon d’Or 2026 at the ceremony held at the London Palladium in London, in front of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, to the applause of an international crowd and received the most prestigious trophy in world football.
A record year for the English striker
The English striker's victory rewards a stratospheric year statistically. He scored 73 goals in 65 matches, across all competitions for club and country. These figures place Kane among the top scorers in recent history.
This output heavily influenced the Ballon d’Or journalists' vote. He thus overtook the usual contenders and established himself as the favourite from the first round. This performance also bolstered his image as a leader within Tottenham Hotspur.
Controversy over the Croatian jury's vote
The Croatian jury representative, Zdravko Reic, published his full Top 10. He placed Rodri in first place, followed by Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, Ferran Torres, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Pau Cubarsi, Vitinha, Ousmane Dembélé and Jude Bellingham. None of the top three in the official ranking – Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal – appears on his podium, and Yamal does not even appear in the Top 10.
In the columns of the Croatian media outlet Vecernji list, Reic explained that 2026 was the World Cup year and that performances in that tournament determined his vote, relegating the Champions League and other competitions to the background. He justified Rodri’s first place as the best player of the World Cup, second place for Erling Haaland for his excellent result with Norway, third place for Lionel Messi for leading Argentina to the final, and fourth place for Ferran Torres for a magnificent goal in the final. He thus emphasized that World Cup exploits outweigh Champions League successes in his assessment.
Regarding the sixth place given to Harry Kane, the journalist acknowledged his mistake by stating: “I must now admit that it was an error, I was wrong to rank Kane so low”. He also explained Yamal’s absence, stating that the young striker arrived at the World Cup injured, played little and made only a minimal contribution to Spain’s victories.