Harry Kane was officially crowned as the winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or following an impressive season for club and country. This is how he began his acceptance speech.
“Wow, wow, wow. First of all, I’m almost speechless,” Kane said (as captured by X account @iMiaSanMia). “First of all, thank you to the Ballon d’Or organisers for putting on this amazing event. It’s fantastic. The fact that it’s being held here in London, of course, makes it even more special for me. It was a good omen for me, so thank you very much. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I’m delighted to be recognised alongside so many excellent players, including some of my teammates and some truly world-class players who are here in the room tonight. So, thank you to everyone who voted for me.”
The 33-year-old striker won the award after beating Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to it. Kane therefore became Bayern’s first Ballon d’Or winner since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981, and the first Englishman to win it since Michael Owen in 2001.
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