England's forward Harry Kane won his first Ballon d'Or award at the Ballon d'Or award ceremony hosted by France Football and UEFA in London. On the 26th, the ranking of the 30 nominated players was announced at the same time, with Kane taking first place, followed by France's Kylian Mbappé in second and Spain's Lamine Yamal in third.
Kane scored 73 goals for club and country in the 2025-26 season, contributing significantly to Bayern's domestic treble and England's third-place finish at the North and Central America World Cup. At the award ceremony, he also won the Gerd Müller Trophy, which is the award for the highest scorer, proving once again his high scoring ability. While Mbappé was said to have disappointed in his lack of winning a major title, Yamal's performances in La Liga and the North and Central American World Cup were highly praised, and he received almost the same number of votes as Spain national team midfielder Rodri, who ranked fourth.
From fifth place onwards, Argentina national team forward Lionel Messi, who was not selected last year, returned to fifth place thanks to his performance at the North and Central America World Cup. France national team forward Ousmane Dembele ranks 7th, while Manchester City's Erling Haaland rises significantly from 26th to 8th. Spain's defender Pau Kubalsi was named the best young player at the North and Central America World Cup, making it into the Top 30 for the first time and finishing 12th.
The ranking of the top 30 is as follows, and includes top players from all over the world. 1st place is Kane, 2nd place is Mbappé, 3rd place is Yamal, 4th place is Rodri, 5th place is Messi, 6th place is Juvica Kvaratsjeria, 7th place is Dembele, 8th place is Haaland, 9th place is Olise, 10th place is Lewis, 11th place is Bellingham, 12th place is Kvarshi, 13th place is Hakimi, 14th place is Vitinha, 15th place is Rice, 16th place is Torres, 17th place. Junior, 18th place, Cucrella, 19th place, Neves, 20th place, Pacho, 21st place, Magalhães, 22nd place, Martinez, 23rd place, Mendes, 24th place, Díaz, 25th place, Maquinhos, 26th place, Dayot Upamecano, 27th place, Fernandes, 28th place, Quiñones, 29th place, Mane and Saliba are tied for the same points.
This result shows that the evaluation is directly linked to the achievements of each country's national team and clubs, and it has become clear which players will be of interest in future international tournaments and club matches. The next Ballon d'Or is scheduled for 2026, and players will be preparing to achieve even better results.