Harry Kane is the odds-on favourite to win the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or, which could be one of the tightest results in recent history. England captain and Bayern Munich striker Kane is the bookmakers' favourite to become the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. Victory would see Kane become just the fifth English winner of the Ballon d'Or after Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen, while he would also become the first Bayern player to claim it in 45 years.
When asked after Bayern's Champions League draw against Arsenal last Wednesday about winning the Ballon d'Or, Kane told Sky Sports News: "It'd be incredible if I do. It'd be special for sure. I'd love to win it, but we will have to wait and see.
A big night, but I'm not getting carried away." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Kane's caution comes due to stiff competition from LaLiga duo Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe. Spain World Cup winner and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, who is 14 years Kane's junior at the age of 19, is aiming to become the youngest-ever Ballon d'Or winner - an award he has been campaigning for. "Being completely honest, it's not just this year I've been at a Ballon d'Or [winning] level, but longer," he told The Guardian in September, having also appeared to dismiss Kane's credentials earlier that month in a Spanish interview.
Lamine Yamal had been the bookmakers' closest challenger to Kane for the award, but a late surge in the betting means Real Madrid striker and France captain Kylian Mbappe is now second-favourite behind Kane. A first-time winner looks set to win the award on Monday night, with Kane eyeing a poetic victory in London, where the ceremony is being held to pay tribute to inaugural winner Matthews. Here, Sky Sports assesses Kane, Lamine Yamal and Mbappe's stats, and hears the pundits' views on who should win the 70th edition of the Ballon d'Or… It is important to note that players are judged for their performances over the entirety of last season from August 3, 2025 until July 19, 2026.
Looking at that period domestically, Kane helped Bayern to lift the Bundesliga and the German Cup, while Lamine Yamal won LaLiga but missed out on the Copa del Rey as both players won their respective Super Cups. But Mbappe failed to win a trophy with either Real Madrid or France last season. In Europe, Kane went further than Lamine Yamal and Mbappe as Bayern reached the Champions League semi-finals after a thrilling 6-5 last-four aggregate defeat to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
Lamine Yamal's Barcelona and Mbappe's Real Madrid both exited the tournament in the quarter-finals. But Lamine Yamal enjoyed the ultimate success with his country as he helped Spain earn World Cup glory in the summer, while Kane and England won the bronze medal after beating Mbappe's France in the third-place play-off. The goal statistics are what make Kane the favourite for the award.
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