After a razor‑thin vote and a delayed start, Harry Kane clinched the 2026 Ballon d’Or, edging out Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal. In the women’s category, Alexia Putellas secured her third title.
The red carpet glittered despite a London traffic jam that pushed the kickoff back 45 minutes. Mbappé, Kane and Yamal arrived sequentially, each a few minutes late, before the ceremony finally began at the London Palladium.
Fresh from his brace against Barcelona, Mbappé beamed, unsure of the night’s outcome. “We’ll see later; I just want to enjoy it,” he said, adding, “We came smiling after winning the Clasico.” Sitting beside Michael Olise and near Ousmane Dembélé, he warned, “I didn’t write a speech – that brings bad luck.”
Former Ballon d’Or winners Ronaldo, Luís Figo, Andriy Shevchenko, Michael Owen and Hristo Stoichkov all attended. Lionel Messi, the eight‑time champion, was the notable absentee, staying in the United States.
Henry told Yamal, “Is this the trophy you wanted tonight?”
Hosts Kate Scott and Thierry Henry opened the show by presenting the Kopa Trophy to Lamine Yamal for the third consecutive year. Henry noted, “Is this the prize you wanted tonight?” The Barcelona winger replied, “Pau Cubarsi deserved it; he earned it the most.”
Barcelona and Spain then swept the remaining awards. Vicky López took the best young female player prize, while Pere Romé and Luis de la Fuente earned top female and male coach honors. Cata Coll and Unai Simón were named best goalkeeper and keeper respectively, and FC Barcelona claimed best women’s club, prompting applause among de la Fuente, Yamal and Rodri, as well as Simón and Raya.
Beyond the Spanish scene, Bukayo Saka was warmly welcomed on stage by Henry and received the Socrates award for humanitarian work. PSG repeated as best men’s club, a trophy lifted by Ousmane Dembélé, who promised to bring joy to supporters, neutrals and even haters.
Kane “nervous” yet crowned
The night cemented Kane’s status as a modern great, in my view, and revived Barça’s dominance through Putellas’s third triumph. After top‑scorer awards went to Charlyn Corral and Kane, the Ballon d’Or ceremony reached its climax. Putellas was crowned for the third time, following 2021 and 2022, reigniting Barça’s supremacy. The event closed with Kane’s second appearance on stage to accept the 2026 Ballon d’Or, where he paid tribute to his former club Tottenham as London cheered.
Celebrated by teammate Michael Olise and defending champion Ousmane Dembélé, Bayern Munich and England striker Kane outpaced Mbappé (second) and Yamal (third). Earlier he admitted, “I’m a bit nervous, I must confess.” The evening wrapped up just before midnight, in spectacular fashion.