Harry Kane wins Ballon d'Or as first Bayern player in 44 years
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d'Or, becoming the first Bundesliga player in decades to claim football's most prestigious individual award. The 33-year-old England captain received the honor in his hometown of London. Kane scored 61 goals for Bayern last season and 12 for England, including six at the World Cup, while winning the Bundesliga and German Cup. He beat Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, and Bayern teammates Luis Díaz, Michael Olise, and Dayot Upamecano in the journalists' vote. The award marks Kane's first Ballon d'Or and the first for a Bayern player since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981. Spain's Alexia Putellas won the women's award, while German international Klara Bühl finished 12th.