For 25 years, England has been waiting for another Ballon d’Or winner as the last Englishman to lift the famous trophy was Michael Owen in 2001. Now almost a few decades later Harry Kane has a chance to bring
the award back to England. He entered the 2026 Ballon d’Or race after producing the most prolific season of his career.
The Bayern Munich striker scored 61 goals for the club during the 2025–26 campaign and helped Bayern win both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. He also finished the season with 73 goals for club and country. It was the kind of season that made Kane one of the leading names on the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
🏴🐐 Steven Gerrard: “In my view, Harry Kane is arguably the best English player there’s ever been”, told TNT Sports. https://t.co/oYrQT7YKle
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 22, 2026
But his journey to this point has taken years. When Kane left Tottenham for Bayern Munich in 2023, there were questions about whether moving to Germany would change his place among the world’s best strikers.
His performances answered those questions as he scored 36 Bundesliga goals in his first season and continued producing at an extraordinary rate. By 2025–26, he had reached another level, scoring 36 league goals and winning the European Golden Shoe for the second time.
Harry Kane remained the central figure for England
Harry Kane captained the national team at the 2026 World Cup and finished the tournament with England earning a bronze medal. His performances for club and country helped give him a serious case for the biggest individual prize in football. There is also history behind the possibility of Kane winning. Only four Englishmen have won the Ballon d’Or which includes Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen. Owen was the last, winning it in 2001 after a remarkable year with Liverpool and England.
Kane is now trying to become the fifth but his competition is strong as Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe are among the other major contenders. After scoring 73 goals, the England captain called the 2025–26 campaign the best season of his life, but also admitted that the Ballon d’Or is ultimately decided by the voters. The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place in London on October 26, giving the England captain the chance to make history on home soil. If he does win the award it would be the biggest individual achievement of his career. For England, it would finally end a wait that began when Owen won the award in 2001.
