Harry Kane wins Ballon d'Or, Alexia Putellas takes third women's title

As of 8:42 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026

England captain Harry Kane won the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or on Monday, and Spain's Alexia Putellas won the women's award for the third time, organizers announced at a ceremony at the London Palladium.

Kane, the 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker, is the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001, according to the official Ballon d'Or site. Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé finished second and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal third in the official rankings, followed by Rodri and Lionel Messi.

Kane scored 73 goals last season, 61 for Bayern and 12 for England, including six at the World Cup, the Ballon d'Or site said. He also won the Gerd Müller Trophy as the men's striker of the year.

"I had to bide my time and work hard, a lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it, I had to show self-belief, determination," Kane said, according to BBC Sport.

Putellas equals record

Putellas, 32, won the women's Ballon d'Or after captaining Barcelona to the Women's Champions League title as part of a quadruple in 2025-26, BBC Sport reported. She joined London City Lionesses of the Women's Super League in July. She previously won the award in 2021 and 2022.

Her third title equals the record held by Spain teammate Aitana Bonmatí, who won in 2023, 2024 and 2025, BBC Sport reported. Barcelona's Ewa Pajor finished second and Manchester City's Khadija Shaw third, according to the BBC.

"Don't listen if someone tells you, you can't do it. Believe in yourself," Putellas said, according to BBC Sport.

Other awards

• Men's Young Talent (Kopa Trophy): Lamine Yamal (third straight)
• Women's Young Talent: Vicky López
• Men's goalkeeper (Yachine Trophy): Unai Simón
• Women's goalkeeper: Cata Coll
• Men's coach (Cruyff Trophy): Luis de la Fuente
• Women's coach: Pere Romeu
• Men's striker (Gerd Müller Trophy): Harry Kane
• Women's striker: Charlyn Corral
• Men's club of the year: Paris Saint-Germain
• Women's club of the year: FC Barcelona
• Sócrates Award: Bukayo Saka

What is not known

The full voting points have not been published in the sources GROKsiNEWS.com read.