Did a controversial remark come back to haunt Kylian Mbappe? How narrow Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or victory was

Harry Kane appears to have won the race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or by an extremely small margin over Kylian Mbappé, according to Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of France Football. Speaking on the sidelines of Monday’s awards ceremony, Garcia said only a few votes separated the Bayern Munich forward from Real Madrid’s Mbappé. He noted the points gap was even tighter than the closest result in 2024, when Rodri beat Vinícius Júnior by just 41 points. Garcia said Mbappé looked likely to triumph early, but Kane surged late as voting progressed through the month. Garcia also explained he would not disclose how he personally voted. A former Ballon d’Or head, Pascal Ferre, suggested aggressive self-promotion could have cost Mbappé votes, arguing voters are experienced enough to judge without constant self-praise.