London [UK], October 27 (ANI): England captain and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane won the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or after an outstanding season with his club, while Spain great Alexia Putellas claimed the Women's Ballon d'Or for the third time in her career.

Kane became the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001, overcoming competition from Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to claim the prestigious individual football award

Kane enjoyed a prolific campaign, scoring 73 goals and providing eight assists, contributing to 81 goal involvements across the season. He also helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga, German Cup and German Super Cup. It is the first Ballon d'Or for a player who has been considered among the world's best for several years.

The award marks another milestone in Kane's career, with the England captain having established himself among the leading strikers in European football before joining Bayern Munich, where he has gone on to win major trophies.

The prestigious title comes after Kane dominated the Bundesliga, scoring 36 goals in 31 matches to help Bayern Munich to the 2025-26 German league title. Bayern fell in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League to eventual winner Paris Saint-Germain, but Kane also had 14 goals in 13 matches - including at least one goal in both legs of the quarterfinals against Real Madrid and the semifinals against PSG.

His goalscoring performances proved instrumental in Bayern's successful campaign, earning him one of football's most prestigious individual honours at the ceremony held in London.

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The England captain also scored six goals and chipped in an assist for England as the Three Lions earned a third-place finish at the 2026 World Cup. 

Meanwhile, Putellas won the Women's Ballon d'Or for the third time, having previously received the honour in 2021 and 2022. The Barcelona star's latest triumph adds to her achievements in women's football and places her alongside former Barcelona teammate and compatriot Aitana Bonmati, who has also won the award three times.

Putellas enjoyed another successful season with Barcelona, helping the Spanish club maintain its position among the leading teams in women's football.

The two awards recognised the achievements of Kane and Putellas, with both players adding another significant individual accolade to their respective careers.

The 2026 ceremony took place at London's Palladium in honour of the 70th anniversary of Stanley Matthews being named the first winner of the prize. (ANI)