Kane Wins First Ballon d'Or as Putellas Claims Third Women's Crown

Harry Kane is finally a Ballon d'Or winner. The England captain and Bayern Munich striker was named the winner of the 70th edition of football's top individual prize at a ceremony at London's Palladium on Monday, October 26, beating France star Kylian Mbappé and Spain teenager Lamine Yamal to the award voted on by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings. It is a first Ballon d'Or for the 33-year-old, whose scoring powered Bayern to the 2025-26 Bundesliga title with 36 goals in 31 league matches, and who added 14 goals in 13 Champions League games as Bayern reached the semi-finals. He also scored six goals for England as the Three Lions finished third at the 2026 World Cup. Kane, who left Tottenham in 2023 without a trophy, now owns two Bundesliga titles, a DFB-Pokal and the sport's biggest individual honour. The women's prize went to Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas for a third time, after her 2021 and 2022 wins. Putellas scored seven goals and added seven assists as Barcelona won a fourth Women's Champions League title in 2025-26, captaining the side to a 4-0 final win over Lyon, and scored nine more as Barcelona defended the Liga F crown for a seventh straight season. She beat Manchester City's Khadija Shaw and Barcelona team-mate Ewa Pajor, and now stands level with compatriot Aitana Bonmatí as the most-decorated winner of the women's award.