Harry Kane became the first English player to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or for 25 years on Monday night, when he was crowned the best footballer in the world at the 2026 ceremony in London.

Michael Owen was the last Englishman to take home the award, back in 2001, and Kane follows him as the nation's fifth ever winner after Stanley Matthews in 1956, Bobby Charlton in 1966, and Kevin Keegan in both 1978 and 1979.

The Bayern Munich striker beat out the likes of Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe to claim top spot, and few can argue against his credentials after an immense campaign for both club and country.

Here, Sports Mole runs down the Ballon d'Or 2026 rankings in full.

Ballon d'Or 2026 rankings in full

Ballon d'Or 2026: Full Rankings

How were the Ballon d'Or 2026 rankings decided?

One hundred 'specialised journalists' voted in the men's edition of this year's Ballon d'Or, which was awarded for the period between August 3, 2025 and July 19, 2026, the day of the World Cup final.

The voting was based on three criteria, in order of importance:

1. Individual performances, of a decisive and impressive nature. 
2. Team performances and titles won. 
3. Class and fair play.

Why did Harry Kane win the Ballon d'Or?

Welcome to the Ballon d'Or family, Harry! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/KpuSk49OmY

— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) October 26, 2026

Bayern and England striker Kane delivered an unprecedented season for both club and country, scoring a staggering 73 goals while providing a further eight assists for his teammates.

There was much debate in the buildup to this occasion about whether raw output was the most valuable aspect when it comes to judging an attacker's performance.

However, the 33-year-old's 61 goals across all competitions for the German champions was 19 more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues could muster, and marked the most for a club win a single season in 11 years, since Cristiano Ronaldo's 61 for Real Madrid.

In fact, only Lionel Messi's tally of 82 for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011-12 ranks higher amongst players in Europe's top five leagues.

Kane also broke numerous records throughout the campaign, including the most-ever goals in one term for Bayern, surpassing legends of the game such as Robert Lewandowski and Gerd Muller.

England's talisman also became the highest scorer for his country at World Cups with 14, overtaking Gary Linker by netting six times during this summer's tournament in North America.

Harry Kane's goals by competition:

• Bundesliga: 36
• Champions League: 14
• DFB-Pokal: 10
• International: 12 (six at World Cup 2026)