Harry Kane Wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or, Messi Finishes 5th and Football Fans Cannot Stop Talking

One post, one list and the football internet lit up. On Monday night, the 2026 Ballon d’Or top 10 dropped, Harry Kane took the trophy, and Lionel Messi landed in fifth place. However, there is more to this story than a ranking, so here is what happened and why fans are arguing.

Who Won the 2026 Ballon d’Or?

Harry Kane won. The ceremony took place on Monday, October 26, 2026, at the Palladium Theatre in London, it was the first Ballon d’Or gala held outside France. Kane, 33, won his first Ballon d’Or in his home city, and host Kate Scott called it “the closest race in years”.

Kylian Mbappé finished second and Lamine Yamal third. Besides that, Kane is the first Englishman to win in 25 years, since Michael Owen in 2001.

The Full Men’s Top 10

• 1. Harry Kane (England)

• 2. Kylian Mbappé (France)

• 3. Lamine Yamal (Spain)

• 4. Rodri (Spain)

• 5. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

• 6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia)

• 7. Ousmane Dembélé (France)

• 8. Erling Haaland (Norway)

• 9. Michael Olise (France)

• 10. Fabián Ruiz (Spain)

Why Did Kane Win?

Kane scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England between August 2025 and July 2026, which Bundesliga calls the second-best scoring season by any player since the millennium, behind only Messi’s 82 in 2011/12. Bayern won the league and DFB Cup double and reached the Champions League semi-finals.

Meanwhile, England reached the World Cup semi-finals, Kane captained them to bronze. Before the vote, he told Marca: “It was, by far, the best season of my life.”

Is Messi Finishing 5th at 39 Really “Crazy”?

That is how one viral comment put it, and many fans agree. After all, Messi turned 39 in June and still matters at the top of the game. ESPN notes he holds the record with eight Ballons d’Or.

Here are the numbers. Over the Ballon d’Or window (August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026), NBC Sports counted 45 goals and 30 assists in 49 games for Argentina and Inter Miami. He also played in his third World Cup final, which Argentina lost to Spain on July 19.

Even so, voters ranked four players above him. NBC raised the question of whether voters would overlook his time outside Europe’s top leagues, but nobody has confirmed that as the reason, so we cannot say why he placed fifth. For more on his tournament, see Sofascore’s look at his 2026 campaign.

How Does Ballon d’Or Voting Work?

If you wonder how a player can score 73 goals and still win a close race, the voting explains part of it. According to reports, 100 journalists voted this year. Each juror ranked 10 players from a 30-player shortlist, and the player with the most points won.

Because jurors rank ten names, a player can finish high without topping many ballots. That is how a list like this can feel surprising, even though the rules are simple. However, the exact points and the margin between Kane and Mbappé were not published so we don't know how close it really was beyond the host’s “closest race in years” comment.

Kane had also said before the ceremony that holding it in London was a “good omen”, since he lived there for a long time. As it turned out, he was right.

Who Else Won on the Night?

• Young Player of the Year: Lamine Yamal. He said the prize “should have been for” teammate Pau Cubarsí (ESPN).

• Coach of the Year: Luis de la Fuente (Spain).

• Goalkeeper of the Year: Unai Simón.

• Women’s Ballon d’Or: Alexia Putellas, with Ewa Pajor second and Khadija Shaw third.

Notably, Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current) finished 10th in the women’s ranking. 

Kane finally has the award that many fans said he deserved, and Messi’s fifth place has reopened the old debate about age, league and voting. Whatever you think, the conversation is not slowing down. For more football and sport stories, visit our sports desk, or read how a World Cup place was lost on penalties.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who won the 2026 Ballon d’Or?

Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and England.

2. Where did Messi finish in the 2026 Ballon d’Or?

Fifth, behind Kane, Mbappé, Yamal and Rodri.

3. How many goals did Kane score this season?

73 across club and country between August 2025 and July 2026, per Bundesliga.com and Al Jazeera.

4. Who won the women’s Ballon d’Or?

Alexia Putellas.