Harry Kane edged Kylian Mbappe by 28 points in Ballon d’Or voting

Harry Kane won the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or by 28 points ahead of Kylian Mbappe, according to voting figures released by the organisers on Saturday and reported by BBC Sport. The England captain received 1,055 points, with Real Madrid forward Mbappe collecting 1,027. The newly published totals show how close the contest was between the top two finishers.

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Bayern Munich striker Kane became the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001. BBC Sport reported that he scored 73 goals in 65 appearances last season, helped Bayern achieve a league and cup double and led England to third place at the World Cup. He received the award in London on Monday, when former Brazil striker Ronaldo presented him with the trophy.

Mbappe’s second place was his highest finish in the award. Spain forward Lamine Yamal came third with 881 points, leaving him 146 behind the Frenchman. The prize is determined through a weighted points system using votes from 100 journalists. The released figures therefore represent points awarded through that system, rather than a tally of individual first-place votes for each player.

The gap between Kane and Mbappe was the smallest since Lionel Messi finished seven points ahead of Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk in 2019, BBC Sport reported. Two previous editions were decided by a single point: Bobby Charlton beat Eusebio in 1966, while Matthias Sammer finished just ahead of Ronaldo in 1996. Ronaldo subsequently won the award in 1997 and again in 2002.

Kane is the fifth English player to receive the Ballon d’Or. Stanley Matthews won in 1956, followed by Charlton in 1966. Kevin Keegan claimed consecutive awards in 1978 and 1979 before Owen’s success in 2001. Kane’s victory ended the wait for another English winner, with Saturday’s voting release establishing the precise margin of his success.

Below the leading three, Rodri finished fourth on 726 points and Messi fifth on 612. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia took sixth with 541, ahead of Ousmane Dembele on 418 and Erling Haaland on 378. Michael Olise, with 296 points, and Fabian Ruiz, with 201, completed the published top 10.