The Ballon d'Or left Paris for the first time in its 70-year history and was handed out on Monday evening at the London Palladium theatre in London. The two main awards went to England striker Harry Kane, of Bayern Munich, and Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas, who left Barcelona this year for London City Lionesses in the English top flight.
Kane, 33, is the first Englishman to receive the men's trophy in 25 years. The last was Michael Owen, in 2001.
73 goals and a third straight German scoring title
Kane closed the 2025/26 season with 73 goals for club and country across all competitions. He was the Bundesliga's top scorer for the third year running and scored 14 times in the Champions League, a campaign in which Bayern were knocked out in the semi-finals. In the same season the Bavarian club retained the German title and completed a domestic treble.
Alongside the main award, Kane took the Gerd Müller Trophy for the season's leading scorer and was named striker of the year.
Behind him in the voting came Kylian Mbappé, of Real Madrid, and Lamine Yamal, of Barcelona. Rodri finished fourth and Lionel Messi fifth — the Inter Miami forward remains the award's most decorated winner, with eight trophies. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, Erling Haaland, Michael Olise and Fabián Ruiz completed the top ten.
Putellas equals Bonmatí's record
Putellas, 32, won her third Ballon d'Or after the 2021 and 2022 editions, drawing level with Aitana Bonmatí — between them the two Spaniards have taken the last six women's awards.
The season that earned her the trophy was her last at Barcelona: 21 goals and 13 assists across all competitions, including seven in the Champions League, which the Catalan club won for the fourth time in six years. Putellas took on more of the load while Bonmatí spent five months out injured. With her contract expired, she signed for London City Lionesses in the middle of this year.
"It is a trophy for my work," she said as she collected the award, according to the website Goal. Poland's Ewa Pajor finished second and Jamaica's Khadija Shaw third.
The night's other trophies
The Kopa Trophy for best young player went to Lamine Yamal; in the women's game, to Vicky López, also of Barcelona. In goal, the Yashin Trophy winners were Unai Simón, of Athletic Bilbao, and Cata Coll, of Barcelona. Mexico's Charlyn Corral, of Pachuca, received the women's Gerd Müller Trophy.
Luis de la Fuente, the Spain head coach, took the Cruyff Trophy for best manager, with Pere Romeu, of Barcelona, winning the women's equivalent. Paris Saint-Germain were named men's club of the year and Barcelona the women's. The Socrates Award, for social work, went to England's Bukayo Saka, of Arsenal.
The ceremony marked 70 years of the award, created by the French magazine France Football in 1956, and paid tribute to Stanley Matthews, its first winner.
With information from UEFA, Goal, Euronews and Sortiraparis.
