The 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or ceremony brought the peak of footballing excellence to London’s historic Palladium Theatre. Held in honour of Sir Stanley Matthews:the legendary inaugural winner of the trophy in 1956:the gala marked the very first time the prestigious awards were presented on English soil. The evening ultimately belonged to Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas, who claimed the ultimate individual crowns amidst a night of record-breaking milestones, dominant displays from Spanish football, and historical sweeps.
Harry Kane bridges a quarter-century gap for English Football
Harry Kane claimed his maiden Men’s Ballon d’Or, edging out Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal following a spectacular season for both club and country.Kane’s triumph makes him the first Englishman in 25 years to win the Men’s Ballon d’Or, succeeding Michael Owen who last lifted the trophy in 2001. By winning football’s ultimate individual prize, Kane joins an elite pantheon of English icons that includes Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, and Kevin Keegan. Further down the list, Lionel Messi finished fifth in what is widely considered his final career nomination following his international retirement announcement.
Men’s Ballon d’Or: Top 10 rankings
- Harry Kane:
Bayern Munich / England - Kylian Mbappé : Real Madrid / France
- Lamine Yamal : Barcelona / Spain
- Rodri : Barcelona / Spain
- Lionel Messi : Inter Miami / Argentina
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia :
Paris Saint-Germain / Georgia - Ousmane Dembélé : Paris Saint-Germain / France
- Erling Haaland : Manchester City / Norway
- Michael Olise : Bayern Munich / France
- Fabián Ruiz : Paris Saint-Germain / Spain
Alexia Putellas reclaims her throne with record-equalling third title
In the women’s category, Alexia Putellas officially reclaimed the global crown, returning to the absolute apex of the women’s game ahead of her Barcelona teammate Ewa Pajor and Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw.With this victory, Putellas captures a record-equalling third Ballon d’Or Féminin (adding to her wins in 2021 and 2022), tying her Spain teammate Aitana Bonmatí for the most titles in the history of the women’s award. Crucially, while she spent the core voting period dominating with FC Barcelona, her summer move makes her the first-ever winner technically affiliated with a Women’s Super League (WSL) side, representing the London City Lionesses.
Women’s Ballon d’Or: Top 10 rankings
- Alexia Putellas: London City Lionesses / Spain
- Ewa Pajor: Barcelona / Poland
- Khadija Shaw: Manchester City / Jamaica
- Melchie Dumornay: OL Lyonnes / Haiti
- Patri Guijarro: Barcelona / Spain
- Caroline Graham Hansen: Barcelona / Norway
- Pernille Harder: Bayern Munich / Denmark
- Clàudia Pina: Barcelona / Spain
- Alessia Russo: Arsenal / England
- Temwa Chawinga: Kansas City Current / Malawi
Barcelona’s La Masia Academy solidifies youth stranglehold
The youth categories showcased the unmatched talent production pipeline of Barcelona’s La Masia, with the club securing both the men’s and women’s U21 honours.
- Lamine Yamal (Men’s Young Player of the Year): Yamal made unprecedented footballing history by retaining the Kopa Trophy to win it for a third consecutive time (2024, 2025, and 2026). Since the award’s inception by France Football in 2018, no other player has ever won it more than once.
- Vicky López (Women’s Young Player of the Year): Continuing the club’s complete dominance on the youth circuit, López retained the crown to secure her second consecutive young women’s player of the year award.
Major category winners and historic milestones
The secondary awards highlighted historic tactical triumphs, unmatched club dominance, and remarkable humanitarian efforts across the globe.
- Men’s Striker of the Year (
Gerd Müller Trophy ) – Harry Kane (Bayern Munich / England): Kane completed a double-trophy evening by securing the top striker accolade. This marks the second time Kane has won the Gerd Müller Trophy, having previously shared the honour back in 2024. - Women’s Striker of the Year (Gerd Müller Trophy) – Charlyn Corral (CF Pachuca / Mexico): A historic victory for Liga MX Femenil, Corral became the first player playing outside of Europe’s top divisions to claim this global goalscoring metric.
- Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year (Yashin Trophy) – Unai Simón (Athletic Club / Spain): Simón was awarded the top goalkeeper prize primarily for his spectacular penalty heroics and stellar defensive leadership guiding Spain to their 2026 FIFA World Cup championship.
- Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year – Cata Coll (Barcelona / Spain): Coll anchored Barcelona Femení’s defensive wall during their relentless continental trophy pursuit, keeping a record number of clean sheets.
- Men’s Coach of the Year – Luis de la Fuente (Spain): De la Fuente secured the honour seamlessly after leading La Roja to a flawless, undefeated World Cup campaign.
- Women’s Coach of the Year – Pere Romeu (Barcelona): Romeu was recognized for flawlessly maintaining Barcelona’s untouchable standard of modern tactical supremacy in his debut seasons.
- Men’s Club of the Year – Paris Saint-Germain: PSG made history as the first team to win back-to-back Men’s Club of the Year awards, driven by an incredible five-trophy haul, deep squad depth, and domestic dominance.
- Women’s Club of the Year – Barcelona Femení: The Catalan giants earned undisputed status after capturing a ruthless continental and domestic clean sweep.
Socrates Award – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal / England): Saka was honoured for his global humanitarian work, specifically his partnership with the charity BigShoe to fund vital medical aid and 120 life-changing children’s surgeries in Nigeria.
