Ballon d'Or: Kane ends England's drought, Putellas | theScore

Harry Kane ended England’s Ballon d’Or drought as he won the 2026 men’s award at the London Palladium on Monday, beating Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé in a tightly contested race. The England captain did not claim the Champions League or the World Cup in a standout 2025–26 campaign, but he delivered at club level and helped the “Three Lions” finish third in North America during the summer. Overall, he scored 73 goals in 65 matches across all competitions, with 61 coming for German champions Bayern Munich in just 51 games. Kane, 33, became the first Englishman to win since Michael Owen in 2001. Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for a third time, after leading Barcelona’s historic quadruple, including a fourth Champions League title.