Ballon d'Or: England's Harry Kane and Spain's Alexia Putellas take top awards
Updated / Monday, 26 Oct 2026 22:58
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England's Harry Kane and Spain's Alexia Putellas have taken the top awards at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London.
Kane has become the first English winner of the Ballon d'Or in 25 years. Michael Owen was the last player from England to receive the prestigious individual accolade in 2001, but Kane’s incredible 73-goal haul last season for club and country earned him the award from French magazine France Football.
The England captain scored 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern across all competitions as the German side completed a domestic league and cup double. He led England to the World Cup semi-finals, scoring six goals.
Putellas won the treble and the Champions League with Barcelona in the 2025-26 campaign before moving to Women's Super League side London City Lionesses in July.
The start of the evening was mired in controversy when organisers France Football accidentally posted three articles that seemed to indicate one of Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe or Harry Kane had won the evening's top men's prize.
The ceremony was further delayed by 45 minutes as football's biggest stars struggled to get to London's Palladium due to heavy traffic in the city.
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Source: RTÉ News · RTÉ Sport
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