Harry Kane and Alèxia Putellas after receiving the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or awards last night
* The 19-year-old Lamine Yamal was, however, named Young Talent of the Year for a third successive time
* It follows a trophy-laden season for both club and country in which the teenager won La Liga for Barcelona and the World Cup for Spain
* As Spain’s women football international Alèxia Putellas wins the women’s Ballon d’Or
CNN
England international Harry Kane has won the men’s Ballon d’Or, beating France’s Kylian Mbappé and Spain’s Lamine Yamal to the prize.
Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé at the FIFA World Cup 2026
Kane enjoyed a simply brilliant season last year, scoring 73 goals in 65 competitive matches for club and country – winning the league and cup double with club Bayern Munich.
In a glitzy ceremony that was delayed by a rainy and traffic-logged night in London, the Beautiful Game’s great and good gathered to celebrate the very best players in the world.
The scene of hundreds of kids damaging security barriers and climbing buildings to get a better view of their heroes arriving on Monday was another reminder of how much this sport means to fans.
And many of the biggest names turned up to London’s historic Palladium Theatre, braving the wintry conditions on the red carpet.
Lamine Yamal drew one of the loudest reactions as he walked up the red carpet, and while he didn’t win the award he most wanted, the 19-year-old was named Young Talent of the Year for a third successive time.
Lamine Yamal’s goal against Saudi Arabia made him just the second player aged 18 or younger to open the scoring in a World Cup match after Pele
It follows a trophy-laden season for both club and country in which the teenager won La Liga for Barcelona and the World Cup for Spain.
Meanwhile, Spain’s women’s international, Alèxia Putellas won the women’s award for the third time — and it was expected for the 32-year-old to beat her rivals after another dominant season with Barcelona Femení, where she was the heartbeat of the club’s unrivaled success.
She captained the side to a quadruple of trophies – the league title, two domestic cups and the Women’s Champions League – before signing for the London City Lionesses in England this summer.
Spain’s women’s international, Alèxia Putellas
The voting for the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or is down to selected journalists who vote on behalf of their nation.
Each voter ranks their 10 best players with points distributed on a descending scale depending on their place in the list.
Barça’s Vicky López was named the Women’s Young Talent of the Year for a second successive time, capping off a brilliant season with the Blaugrana that dominated across both the men’s and women’s categories.
The Spanish and Catalan dominance continued with Spain manager Luis de la Fuente claiming Men’s Coach of the Year after his World Cup glory and Barcelona Femení manager Pere Romeu being named Women’s Coach of the Year after guiding his team to practically every trophy.
Men’s Club of the Year went to Paris Saint-Germain, Women’s Club of the Year(Barcelona Femení), Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year (Unai Simón-Athletic Bilbao & Spain), Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year (Cata Coll-Barcelona Femení & Spain).
Sócrates Award (best humanitarian actions by a player): Bukayo Saka (Arsenal & England), Men’s Striker of the Year: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich & England), Women’s Striker of the Year: Charlyn Corral (CF Pachuca & Mexico)—Reporting for CNN by Ben Church, editing by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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