Harry Kane wins Złota Piłka in London, Ewa Pajor second among women

Kane takes the men's prize

Harry Kane, the 33-year-old Bayern Munich forward and England captain, was named winner of the 70th Ballon d'Or at a gala in London on Monday, 26 October. Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid finished second and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona third, both having been seen as the main favourites. It is Kane's first Golden Ball of his career, and he is the first English winner since Michael Owen took the award in 2001. The organisers moved the ceremony from Paris to London to mark the 70th anniversary of Stanley Matthews receiving the prize. Kane finished the 2025/26 season with 73 goals in all club and international matches.

Kane's reaction and Bayern's response

Kane said he was lost for words and that holding the gala in London made the evening even more special. He thanked the voters, the coaches he had worked with, Tottenham Hotspur and his wife Katie Goodland, who attended the gala with him. Afterwards he posted behind-the-scenes material on social media, including a graphic showing an adult footballer seated beside a young version of himself. Bayern Munich's own posts celebrated the win, and in one post the club repeated the sentence announcing Kane as winner 15 times. The club's social media channels also carried photos and videos from the London gala in the following hours.

Pajor second among women

Alexia Putellas won the women's award for the third time in her career, having also won it in 2021 and 2022, with Ewa Pajor finishing second. Pajor climbed from eighth place in the previous edition and equalled the best finish by a Polish player, which Robert Lewandowski achieved in 2021 when he was second behind Lionel Messi. She helped Barcelona win the Champions League, where she was the competition's top scorer with 11 goals, as well as the Spanish league, Copa del Rey and Supercopa. Season totals differ between sources: Przegląd Sportowy, cited by wPolityce.pl, gave 17 matches, 10 goals and 11 assists for club and country, while NIEZALEZNA.PL reported 46 matches, 34 goals and eight assists.

Other honours and the Lewandowski question

FC Barcelona was named women's team of the year at the same gala. Pere Romeu, the Barcelona coach, received the women's coach of the year award, and Vicky Lopez was named best young player. Mbappé, who was the World Cup's top scorer, was second in the men's vote, and Messi finished fifth. Robert Lewandowski was not among the 30 nominees announced in early September, and he has never won the Ballon d'Or. France Football has presented the award since 1956 and has honoured women since 2018.