Kane claims first Ballon d'Or by just 28 points to end England's 25-year wait

Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or by the narrowest of margins on Monday evening, beating Kylian Mbappé by just 28 points at a ceremony held in London. The Bayern Munich striker finished on 1,055 points, with the Real Madrid forward close behind on 1,027 — the tightest finish the award has seen in years.

The victory ends a 25-year wait for an English Ballon d’Or winner and is the first time Kane has claimed the individual honour in his career. That it was decided in his hometown added a personal dimension to an already significant night.

Heading into the ceremony, the award had been framed as a genuine three-way contest between Kane, Mbappé and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. In the end, Yamal finished a distant third on 881 points, well behind the top two. Rodri came fourth on 726 points, with Lionel Messi fifth on 612.

For Mbappé, the runner-up finish represents the best result of his career at the Ballon d’Or. He had previously placed third in 2018 following France’s World Cup triumph, but this time led the scoring charts in La Liga, the Champions League and at the World Cup. His trophyless club season is widely considered to have counted against him, while Kane’s double-winning campaign with Bayern Munich — claiming both the Bundesliga and the German Cup — strengthened his case. Kane also had the edge in head-to-head terms, with England eliminating France at the World Cup.

One notable detail from the voting breakdown: the journalists representing Spain and Germany both cast their ballots for Mbappé rather than for players from their own domestic leagues.

Accepting the award, Kane said: “Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I can imagine it was really tough this year. Some of the incredible players I was up against, some of my team-mates and world-class players in the room tonight, so thank you to everyone who voted for me. Congratulations to all the winners, all the nominees tonight — an impressive showing of what determination and hard work can really achieve.”

From fourth place downward, the gaps were considerably larger. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finished sixth on 541 points, Ousmane Dembélé seventh on 418, Erling Haaland eighth on 378, Michael Olise ninth on 296 and Fabian Ruiz tenth on 201.