Harry Kane beats Mbappe by narrowest margin in Ballon d'Or history

Harry Kane won the Ballon d'Or for the first time at the ceremony in London, beating Kylian Mbappe by one of the narrowest margins in the award's history. Lamine Yamal finished third. France Football director Vincent Garcia revealed the point difference between Kane and Mbappe was less than the 41-point gap between Rodri and Vinicius Junior in 2024. Mbappe led the voting for a long period before Kane's late surge. Garcia described the race as incredibly close, with the outcome decided by a very small number of points. He monitored the results in real-time throughout the voting month.