Kathmandu. England captain and German club Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d'Or award. This is the first time an English player has won football's prestigious individual award since Michael Owen won it in 2001. At a ceremony held in London last night, the 33-year-old Kane, declared the world's best player, surpassed Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona and Spain's young player Lamine Yamal. Kane scored 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern Munich in the 2025-26 season across all competitions. This is the highest number of goals scored by any Bayern player in a single season. Including the England national team, he scored 73 goals and provided eight assists in 65 matches last season. He won the top scorer title in the Bundesliga with 36 goals. Kane scored 14 goals in the Champions League and 10 goals in the German Cup. He scored a hat-trick against Stuttgart in the German Cup final, leading his team to a 3-0 victory. He also scored one goal in the German Super Cup. Despite such excellent individual performance, Kane could not win the World Cup and Champions League titles last season. Although eliminated from the semi-finals of both competitions, he won the Ballon d'Or based on his individual performance. Previously, Kane's best performance in the Ballon d'Or was finishing in the top 10. This time, however, he has won the award. After winning the award, Kane said that his career has had many ups and downs. He mentioned that he was not the player everyone expected to become a superstar from the beginning, and he reached this point through continuous hard work, self-confidence, and determination. England coach Thomas Tuchel expressed happiness over Kane winning the Ballon d'Or. British Prince William also praised Kane, calling him an excellent captain and an extraordinary player. Kane has become the fifth English player to win the Ballon d'Or. Previously, Stanley Matthews won it in 1956, Bobby Charlton in 1966, and Kevin Keegan in 1978 and 1979. Scotland's Denis Law won the award in 1964 and Northern Ireland's George Best in 1968. Bayern Munich players have also won the Ballon d'Or after 45 years. Previously, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won this award in 1981. To celebrate Kane's success, the arches of Wembley Stadium were illuminated in gold on Monday night. Discussion has started about whether Kane can win the award again next year immediately after winning the Ballon d'Or. He has scored 10 goals in the first 12 matches for Bayern this season. He has scored an additional 6 goals in four Nations League matches for England. With this, he has scored 16 goals in 16 matches for club and country this season. Bayern is undefeated in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season. If the team achieves the success of winning three major titles, Kane will be considered a contender for the Ballon d'Or next year. Lamine Yamal will also aim to win the title next year. He has been in second place for the last two consecutive years. This season, he has scored 10 goals and provided 10 assists in 13 matches for Barcelona in La Liga and the Champions League. Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe is also in the running to win the Ballon d'Or for the first time. He has scored 14 goals in 13 matches for club and country this season.
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