England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane won the 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or, with Lionel Messi finishing fifth. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who were touted to be the front-runners by the media, came in second and third.
Former Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who won the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or, came in fourth. The Spaniard won the FIFA World Cup with Spain and also won the tournament’s Golden Ball in the summer.
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PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finished sixth in the final ranking, while last year’s winner Ousmane Dembele dropped six places to seventh. Erling Haaland is one of the biggest risers in the final rankings, moving from 26th last year to eighth this year. The Manchester City star had a stellar season and also scored seven goals at the FIFA World Cup.
Michael Olise has come in ninth in the Ballon d’Or rankings, with Fabian Ruiz finishing in the top 10. Kane spoke at the gala after collecting his award and said:
“To Vinny, I know he’s at home, or I think still in the hospital. So, wishing you very well. Hope this has given you a bit of energy. It is a credit to yourself, since I have been with you I have improved as a player and as a person and that is testament to your leadership. Thank you to everyone who voted for me, I can imagine it was tough, so thank you to everyone who voted for me. Congratulations to all the winners, all the nominees tonight. My Bayern Munich teammates, Michael, Upa, Luis.”
“I want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur as well. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Tottenham, for sure. I was there from [when I was] 11 years old. All the guidance, all the coaches, you allowed me to live my dream. So for sure, without all those moments together, all the ups and downs have led me to this moment today.”
Harry Kane is the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. Meanwhile, this is the second time Lionel Messi has finished fifth, coming in the same position in 2018 as well.
Lionel Messi did not attend the Ballon d’Or gala
Lionel Messi was not present at the Ballon d’Or gala in London, United Kingdom. The Argentine was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award earlier this week in Spain for his work to improve disadvantaged children’s access to health and education.
Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or eight times in his career, but was not in the top 30 in the last two years.
Edited by Sripad
