Harry Kane is among the favourites to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with the England captain hoping to become the next Englishman to claim football’s most prestigious individual prize.
Only four English players have won the award since its introduction in 1956, withKevin Keegan the only one to lift the trophy twice.
FromStanley Matthews making history as the inaugural winner to Michael Owen’s memorable triumph in 2001, we look back at the English players who have been crowned the best in the world.
Stanley Matthews (1956)
Stanley Matthews was the first-ever recipient of theBallon d'Or after winning the 1956 award. Matthews won the award at the age of 41, beating Real Madrid icons Alfredo Di Stefano and Raymond Kopa in the vote. The former Blackpool winger had earlier become the first winner of the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1948.
Bobby Charlton (1966)
Bobby Charlton was crowned winner of the Ballon d'Or following his role in England's 1966 World Cup triumph on home soil. The Manchester United midfielder was England's joint-leading scorer at the tournament (3) and netted twice in the semi-final win over Portugal.
Charlton was one of three Manchester United players to win theBallon d'Or in just five seasons, as Denis Law (1964) and George Best (1968) also won the award.
Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979)
Kevin Keegan remains the only Englishman to have won the Ballon d'Or twice. The forward earned back-to-back Ballon d'Or accolades in the 1970s, having cemented a reputation as one of the world's best after helping Liverpool to league and European Cup success in 1977.
That summer saw Keegan sign for Hamburg for a British record fee of £500,000. He scored 12 times in his debut season to earn his first Ballon d'Or crown, before winning a second straight award after leading Hamburg to Bundesliga success in 1978/79.
Michael Owen (2001)
Michael Owen ended a 23-year wait for an English Ballon d'Or winner in 2001. Owen scored 24 goals in 46 games as Liverpool won a UEFA Cup, League Cup and FA Cup treble, with the forward netting both goals in the latter final win over Arsenal.
Owen was also on target as Liverpool beat Deportivo Alaves 5-4 in a thrilling UEFA Cup decider, while a hat-trick for England helped the Three Lions thrash Germany 5-1 in World Cup qualification.
At just 22 years and four days, Owen remains thesecond-youngest winner of the Ballon d'Or, behind only Ronaldo Nazario.