England captain Harry Kane will look to become the first English footballer in 25 years to win the Ballon d’Or when the prestigious award is presented in London on Monday, with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe also in contention.
In the women’s category, Alexia Putellas is the favourite to lift the Ballon d’Or for a third time after Aitana Bonmati’s injury-hit season ended her three-year dominance of the award.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held in London for the first time, seven decades after England great Stanley Matthews received the inaugural honour.
Kane’s outstanding campaign saw him score 73 goals in 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and England, helping the German club secure a Bundesliga and domestic cup double.
Despite his remarkable goalscoring exploits, the England captain’s chances could be affected by Bayern’s Champions League semi-final elimination and England’s failure to reach the latter stages of the FIFA World Cup.
England has produced only four Ballon d’Or winners – Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Michael Owen, who claimed the award in 2001.
Kane, 33, said: “I’d love to be able to achieve something like that. It would be a massive milestone in my career.
“I think my wife would prefer to know and my family. It’s very stressful for everyone.”
Mbappe double helps Real Madrid stun Barcelona in El Clasico
Barcelona teenager Yamal, who finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele in last year’s voting, is again among the leading contenders after another impressive season.
However, the 19-year-old’s campaign was interrupted by a hamstring injury, while Spain’s World Cup triumph was built more on collective strength than individual brilliance.
Mbappe also enters the race after another prolific season for club and country, despite finishing without major trophies with either Real Madrid or France.
The French forward emerged as the leading scorer in LaLiga, the Champions League, and the World Cup. His 10 goals at the tournament in North America also took his overall World Cup tally to 22, making him the competition’s all-time top scorer.
The Ballon d’Or was established by the magazine France Football, with the first award given to Matthews in 1956.
One football journalist from each of the 100 top nations in FIFA’s rankings is invited to cast votes for their top 10 players from a 30-man shortlist.
Although the award carries no cash prize, it can generate huge bonuses from clubs and commercial partners as well as increasing a player’s overall market value.
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