Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane beat Kylian Mbappé to the 2026 Ballon d’Or by fewer than the 41 points that separated Rodri and Vinícius Júnior in 2024, France Football editor Vincent Garcia has revealed.
Garcia disclosed the details after Kane received the award at a ceremony at the London Palladium on Monday evening, October 26. The full voting figures are expected to be published on Saturday.
Speaking to French newspaper L’Équipe, Garcia said Mbappé had led the race for much of the voting period before Kane mounted a late challenge to claim the prestigious individual honour.
“The points gap between Kane and Mbappé was smaller than the gap between Rodri and Vinícius Júnior in 2024, which was 41 points, and that was already a very narrow margin at the time,” Garcia said.
“Kylian led the race for a long time, but Harry Kane came back into contention, and in the end, it was decided by a very, very small number of points.”
The disclosure suggests that Kane and Mbappé were separated by a handful of points, although the exact margin will not be known until the complete results are released.
Naija News reports that Kane claimed his first Ballon d’Or after scoring 73 goals in 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and England. He also helped Bayern win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal during the preceding season.
The 33-year-old further strengthened his case with six goals at the 2026 World Cup, where England finished third. His win made him the first English player to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Mbappé finished second, securing his highest-ever position in the Ballon d’Or rankings, while Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal took third place.
The Real Madrid forward enjoyed an impressive campaign in front of goal, finishing as La Liga’s leading scorer with 25 goals and the Champions League’s top scorer with 15. He also led the scoring charts at the World Cup with 10 goals.
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