England's Harry Kane wins first Ballon d'Or of his career
Harry Kane, the England national team and Bayern Munich striker, has won the Ballon d'Or as the world's best footballer of the 2025/26 season for the first time. Spain's Alexia Putellas was named the best women's player.
England national team and Bayern Munich (Germany) striker Harry Kane has won the Ballon d'Or, the award for the world's best footballer of the 2025/26 season, for the first time in his career. The Englishman also received the prize for the year's best striker, according to the outlet "Новости спорта" on Radio 4.
A prolific season
The 33-year-old Kane had an exceptionally productive season. With Bayern he won the German league title, the German Cup and the German Super Cup, scoring 61 goals in 51 matches across all competitions. His 36 Bundesliga goals earned him a second European Golden Shoe.
In the UEFA Champions League the Englishman scored 14 times and shared the title of the tournament's top scorer with Kylian Mbappé. For England he added 12 more goals during the season. At the 2026 World Cup the forward scored six goals in seven matches, and the English team won bronze medals.
Kane's words
At the ceremony Kane said he had almost lost the power of speech and thanked everyone who voted for him. He noted that the competition was strong, since the contenders included his teammates and world-class players gathered in the hall. His remarks were quoted by the ETV+ news programme "Aktuaalne kaamera".
Other nominees
The ten Ballon d'Or nominees also included Ousmane Dembélé, Erling Haaland, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Michael Olise, Rodri and Fabián Ruiz. In the voting, Real Madrid forward Mbappé finished second and Barcelona's Yamal third.
Spain's Alexia Putellas, who previously played for Barcelona and joined London City Lionesses in the summer, was named the best women's footballer of the season.
