Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or as Spain sweeps coach, goalkeeper and youth awards

Kane and Putellas take the top prizes

Harry Kane, the England forward who plays for Bayern Munich, won the 2026 Ballon d'Or in the men's category. In the women's category, Alexia Putellas won the award for a third time, after her earlier wins in 2021 and 2022. She left Barcelona after 14 years and now plays for London City. Most reports place the ceremony in London on Monday, 26 October, although El Confidencial describes the gala as held in Paris. Lastampa.it described Kane's win as crowning a career marked by consistent goalscoring at the top of European football.

Spain and Barcelona take the coaching and youth awards

Luis de la Fuente, Spain's coach, who became world champion this summer, won the men's best coach award. He succeeds Luis Enrique, now at PSG, on the honours list for the 2025/2026 season. Lamine Yamal received the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player for the third year running. Paris Saint-Germain won the men's club prize, having won the last two Champions League editions. In the women's game, Pere Romeu, a 32-year-old Spaniard, was named best coach. He took charge of Barcelona in July 2024 after Jonatan Giraldez left the club, and under him the side won the league, the Spanish Cup, the Spanish Supercup and the Champions League, a clean sweep of four trophies. Vicky López kept the women's Kopa Trophy, and Barcelona was named women's best club.

Two Spanish goalkeepers claim the Yashin Trophies

Unai Simón of Athletic Club, who is Spain's first-choice goalkeeper, won the men's Yashin Trophy for the best keeper. He beat compatriots Joan García of Barcelona and David Raya of Arsenal in the vote. Europa Press reports that it was the first time both Yashin awards went to Spanish goalkeepers. Simón set a World Cup record of 650 minutes without conceding between 2022 and 2026. La Libre notes that he conceded only one goal at the last World Cup, in the quarter-final, scored by Charles De Ketelaere. Cata Coll, goalkeeper for Barça Femení and Spain, became the first Spanish woman to win the award. She beat Ann-Katrin Berger, Hannah Hampton, Lorena and Ayaka Yamashita in the vote.

Simón's acceptance speech

In his speech, Simón thanked his parents, his family, his girlfriend and his childhood friends, whom he said keep him grounded. He named his coaches Luis de la Fuente, Ernesto Valverde and Luis Enrique, and his Athletic Club teammates Óscar de Marcos, Iñigo Lekue and Gorka Guruzeta. He also paid tribute to the late Koldo Asua, who taught him to see football differently, and to José Ángel Iribar, who is 83. Simón said of the award:

“It is a source of pride for me to be here receiving this award, which would be impossible without the help of many people I must be eternally grateful to.”

He closed with a reflection on what football leaves behind, saying:

“What really matters is the legacy a person leaves when this is over.”

Where the reports differ

The reports agree on the winners but not on the venue. Three outlets place the ceremony in London, while El Confidencial describes it as held in Paris. All of the articles are dated Monday, 26 October, and they report the results announced during that evening's gala. Coverage so far focuses on the winners and their speeches, with no further reaction from clubs or national federations in the source set.