For 25 years the answer to “who was the last English Ballon d’Or winner?” was Michael Owen, crowned in 2001. That changed on 26 October 2026, when Harry Kane won the men’s award at the London Palladium.
Key takeaways
- Harry Kane won the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or on 26 October 2026, the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
- Before Kane, England had four winners across five awards: Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978, 1979) and Owen (2001).
- England has produced many runners-up, from Charlton to Beckham to Lampard, but no winner in the 22 years after Owen until Kane.
- Kane is the first Englishman to win it while playing for a club outside England.
Who was the last English Ballon d’Or winner before Kane?
Michael Owen, then 22, won the 2001 award as a Liverpool striker. He scored a hat-trick in England’s 5-1 win over Germany in Munich that September and two late goals in Liverpool’s FA Cup final win over Arsenal. According to the 2001 voting record, he finished on 176 votes, ahead of Raúl (140) and Oliver Kahn (114).
Until 26 October 2026, he held the title of last English winner, and no one else had come close to taking it from him.
How did Harry Kane win the 2026 Ballon d’Or?
The ceremony took place at the London Palladium on 26 October 2026. NBC Sports’ live coverage quotes Kane as “almost speechless”, and he said the voting “was real tough this year with the world-class players”. Forbes and the official Ballon d’Or site both describe him as the first English winner since Owen.
His case rested on a huge season at Bayern Munich, who won the Bundesliga, plus England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals. GiveMeSport puts his tally at 73 goals for club and country in 2025-26. Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé were widely named as his main rivals; we could not confirm the full order of the top three from the pages we read.
Kane had been on the 30-man shortlist seven times. That is a long climb for a player who spent most of his career at Tottenham without a major trophy.
Every English Ballon d’Or winner in one table
| Year | Player | Club at the time |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | Blackpool |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | Manchester United |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | Hamburg |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | Hamburg |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | Liverpool |
| 2026 | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich |
Data for 1956 to 2001 comes from Sports Illustrated’s list of English winners. Keegan was the first Englishman to win twice, and both of his awards came while playing in Germany. Kane’s win follows the same pattern, since Bayern is also a German club.
Why did England wait so long?
It was not for lack of talent. England kept producing runners-up: Charlton (1967, 1968), Bobby Moore (1970), Gary Lineker (1986), David Beckham (1999) and Frank Lampard (2005) all finished second. Jude Bellingham was third in 2024.
Think of it like a league table. England kept finishing in the European places but could not win the title. The award tends to follow big trophies, especially the Champions League and a World Cup, and those were scarce for English players for a long time.
What else was decided at the 2026 ceremony?
According to NBC Sports, Alexia Putellas won the women’s award. Lamine Yamal took the young talent prize, Luis de la Fuente was named men’s coach and Unai Simón won the goalkeeper award. Paris Saint-Germain were named men’s club of the year. England’s Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award, which recognises off-pitch contribution.
What happens next?
The next Ballon d’Or cycle covers the 2026-27 season. Kane will start it as the reigning winner, with Yamal and Mbappé again among the names to watch. Among English players, Bellingham and Declan Rice were also on the 2026 shortlist, so Kane may not remain England’s only recent contender.
In my view, the more interesting question is whether England can now produce a winner without a 22-year gap. Owen won as a 22-year-old, and Bellingham is young enough to make a similar run.
FAQ
Who was the last English player to win the Ballon d’Or before Kane?
Michael Owen, in 2001, while at Liverpool. He was the first Englishman to win since Kevin Keegan in 1979.
How many English players have won the Ballon d’Or?
Five players: Matthews, Charlton, Keegan, Owen and now Kane. Keegan won twice, so there have been six English awards in total.
When did Harry Kane win the Ballon d’Or?
On 26 October 2026, at the ceremony held at the London Palladium.
Want the full picture? Compare the 2026 shortlist with the names in the table above, and see how many of the runners-up you remember.
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