Harry Kane has won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Bundesliga player since Matthias Sammer in 1996 to claim the prestigious award. The Bayern Munich striker finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal in the voting and is also the first player from the German record champions to win it since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.
“Wow, wow, wow. I am almost speechless,” Kane said at the ceremony in London. “Being here in London made the whole thing something very special.” The 33-year-old referenced his outstanding 2025/26 season, in which he scored 61 goals for Bayern and twelve for the England national team, winning the league and cup double with the club.
Club president Herbert Hainer called the achievement “a proud day for FC Bayern”. England manager Thomas Tuchel also congratulated his striker. The evaluation period for the award, presented by France Football, ran from 3 August 2025 to 19 July 2026.
Kane’s triumph comes during a phase where Bayern have recently dropped an unusual number of points in the Bundesliga. The last five matches yielded only one win, three draws and one defeat (WDLDD). The most recent victory was the 3-1 away win at SC Freiburg last Sunday, in which Michael Olise, the team’s current top scorer this season, scored and provided an assist.
On Wednesday, Bayern Munich host 1. FC Magdeburg for the next league fixture. The team remains top of the standings but must quickly refocus on the task at hand following the international acclaim for their superstar. Kane himself remained humble after receiving the honour: “I am incredibly proud of my performance last year - it was by far my best season.”
The original report is at Bild
