Harry Kane finally has the Ballon d’Or. He won the 2026 men’s award at a ceremony at the London Palladium on Monday. The event ran late. Kane is 33. He plays for Bayern Munich and captains England. He looked stunned as he went up to get the trophy. He said he was almost speechless. He thanked his teammates, his family and Bayern. He called it an honour to play for the club.
Kane had a huge season, scoring 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern. That included 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga games. For England, he led the team to third place at the World Cup. It was England’s best World Cup result in about 60 years. He beat Kylian Mbappe of France and Real Madrid and young Spain star Lamine Yamal. Kane also won the Striker of the Year award. He shared it with Mexico and Pachuca striker Charlyn Corral.
Lamine Yamal did not hide his pain. He was sitting in the crowd at the London Palladium. He looked crushed as Kane gave his speech. Yamal was one of the top three contenders. He came third this year. Last year he was second behind Ousmane Dembele. Still, he won the Kopa Trophy for the third straight year. That award goes to the best player under 21. He is 19 and a World Cup winner.
On the women’s side, Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or Féminin. It was her third time. She won in 2021 and 2022. She now plays for the London City Lionesses and for Spain. She had been out for a long time with an ACL injury. She said she had to learn to walk on her knee again. She thanked her family and a friend for helping her enjoy football again. Five of the 10 finalists played for Barcelona. That showed Spain’s strength in the women’s game.
…Makes History With Third Straight Kopa Trophy Win at 2026 Ballon d’Or Ceremony
Lamine Yamal has done something no player has ever done before. He won the Kopa Trophy for the third year in a row. The award goes to the best male player under 21. It was handed out at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on October 26, 2026. That was the 70th Ballon d’Or event. Yamal first won the trophy in 2024 at age 17. He won again in 2025 at 18. Now he has made it three straight. No one else has won it more than once since it started in 2018.
Yamal plays for Barcelona and Spain. He beat a group that included his Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí. Ayyoub Bouaddi and Yan Diomandé were also nominated. His play last season convinced the voters to pick him again. Spain has done very well in this award. Spanish players have won five of the last six Kopa Trophies. Pedri won in 2021. Gavi won in 2022. Then Yamal won in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Yamal had a strong 2025-26 season. He scored 25 goals and made 20 assists in 57 games for Barcelona and Spain. He helped Barcelona win LaLiga and the Spanish Super Cup. He also helped Spain win the 2026 World Cup. He picked up six yellow cards and no red cards. He won three team titles.
The Kopa Trophy started in 2018. Kylian Mbappé won the first one. Matthijs de Ligt won in 2019. No award was given in 2020. Pedri won in 2021. Gavi won in 2022. Jude Bellingham won in 2023. Then Yamal began his run in 2024. His wins in 2025 and 2026 have now gone past anything anyone else has done.
FAQs
Q. Who won the 2026 Ballon d’Or?
A. Harry Kane won the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or.
Q. Where did Lamine Yamal finish in the 2026 Ballon d’Or race?
A. Lamine Yamal finished third in the 2026 Ballon d’Or race.
Q. How many consecutive Kopa Trophies has Lamine Yamal won?
A. Yamal has won the Kopa Trophy three years in a row.
Q. How many goals and assists did Yamal record in 2025-26?
A. Yamal scored 25 goals and provided 20 assists in 57 games for Barcelona and Spain.
Q. Who won the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or?
A. Alexia Putellas won the Women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time.
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