Harry Kane wins the 2026 Golden Ball

The 33-year-old Englishman won this prize for the first time in his career. Kieran Mbappe from Real Madrid took second place in the voting, and Lamin Yamal from Barcelona took third. Rodri and Lionel Messi also made it to the top five, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Paris Saint-Germain finished sixth. In addition to the main award, Kane received the prize for the best forward of the year.

For the season, the forward scored 73 goals in 65 games for the club and the national team: 61 for Bayern in 51 matches and 12 for the England national team. In the Bundesliga, he scored 36 goals, and in the Champions League, he scored 14. The Munich club became the champion of Germany, won the national cup, and reached the Champions League semifinals. Kane also won the European Golden Boot for the second time.

At the 2026 World Cup, the striker scored six goals, and the England national team won bronze. He surpassed Gary Lineker's record and became England's top scorer in World Cup history (14 goals, according to Kursiv, and 13 goals, according to UzDaily).

Kane became the first Englishman to win the Golden Ball after Michael Owen, who won it in 2001, and the fourth Bayern player to receive this award after Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The award ceremony, which has been held since 1956, took place outside of Paris for the first time. The year before, the prize was awarded to Ousmane Dembele.