Headline:
Harry Kane Wins Men’s Ballon d’Or by Narrow Margin Over Kylian Mbappe
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Harry Kane has narrowly claimed the men’s Ballon d’Or, finishing just 28 points ahead of Kylian Mbappe, marking one of the closest victories in the award’s history. The voting numbers were released by the organizers on Saturday, revealing that Kane received 1,055 points, while the Real Madrid forward Mbappe garnered 1,027 points.
Kane, the striker for Bayern Munich, has now become the first Englishman to receive this prestigious award since Michael Owen in 2001. Mbappe, however, should take pride in his achievement as well, having secured his best finish to date, with Spain’s Lamine Yamal in third place at 881 points.
The 28-point margin is notable as it is the closest since Lionel Messi edged out Virgil van Dijk by just seven points in 2019. In fact, the men’s Ballon d’Or has previously been decided by only a single point on two occasions. Bobby Charlton won against Portugal’s Eusebio in 1966 in such a manner, and Germany’s Matthias Sammer also triumphed by a single point over Ronaldo in 1996.
Mbappe can draw inspiration from the Ballon d’Or journey of Ronaldo, who presented Kane with his award in London on Monday and later won the prestigious accolade in 1997 and again in 2002.
Kane secured the honor after an impressive season that saw him score 73 goals in 65 matches, contributing to Bayern Munich’s league and cup double and guiding England to a third-place finish in the World Cup.
The Ballon d’Or is determined by votes from 100 journalists, utilizing a weighted points system.
Top 10 in the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or:
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Harry Kane – 1,055 points
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Kylian Mbappe – 1,027 points
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Lamine Yamal – 881 points
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Lionel Messi – 612 points
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Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 541 points
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Ousmane Dembele – 418 points
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Erling Haaland – 378 points
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Michael Olise – 296 points
