Harry Kane received the Men's Ballon d'Or trophy at the 2026 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony in London. (EPA Images pic)LONDON: Harry Kane became England's first Ballon d'Or winner in 25 years in his native city of London on Monday, beating out stiff competition from Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe.
Alexia Putellas claimed the women's prize for a third time to extend Spain's domination of the award, thanks to her role in leading Barcelona to last season's Champions League before moving to London City Lionesses.
The first-ever Ballon d'Or ceremony on English soil got off to an inauspicious start as the London traffic caused a delay of nearly an hour, with many of the star names arriving late.
But there was a happy ending for the hometown hero as Kane collected the crowning glory of his career to date.
