Ballon d’Or 2026: Harry Kane edged Kylian Mbappé by just 28 points

Harry Kane has won the Ballon d’Or 2026, finishing just 28 points ahead of Kylian Mbappé. The award’s organiser released the voting figures on Saturday, revealing one of the tightest finishes in the prize’s history.

The Bayern Munich striker and England captain collected 1,055 points. The Real Madrid forward finished on 1,027, his highest placing in the award so far. Mbappé still ended well clear of Spain’s Lamine Yamal, who came third with 881 points.

Rodri placed fourth with 726 points, followed by Lionel Messi with 612 and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia with 541. Ousmane Dembélé took 418 points, Erling Haaland 378 and Michael Olise 296. Fabián Ruiz completed the top ten with 201. A panel of 100 journalists decides the winner under a weighted points system.

The margin this year is the smallest since 2019, when Lionel Messi finished seven points clear of Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk. Two editions in the award’s history were decided by a single point. In 1966, England’s Bobby Charlton edged Portugal’s Eusebio. In 1996, Germany’s Matthias Sammer finished ahead of Brazil’s Ronaldo, who handed Kane the trophy in London on Monday, October 26.

Kane is the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001. Last season he scored 73 goals in 65 matches. He also steered Bayern Munich to a domestic league and cup double, and helped England finish third at the World Cup.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho praised the way the 27-year-old Mbappé took the defeat, speaking ahead of his side’s La Liga match against Racing Santander:

“Kylian is very intelligent and mature, he has great self-confidence, and at the same time he has class. The way he handled Harry winning the Ballon d’Or… all I saw and felt was class and respect.”