Harry Kane has again missed out on winning the Ballon d'Or, finishing as runner-up to France's Kylian Mbappé for the 2026 award. The England captain's wait to become the fifth Englishman to claim football's top individual prize continues, despite a phenomenal goalscoring year for club and country. His form for the national team has been a key part of their recent run of three wins and a defeat in their last four matches.
Kane netted 73 times in 65 matches during the eligibility period from August 2025 to July 2026. That haul included winning the European Golden Shoe with Bayern Munich and scoring six goals at the World Cup, where he passed Pelé on the all-time list and led England to a third-place finish. "No, Harry Kane has not won the Ballon d'Or," the striker said.
His second-place finish represents his best performance in the voting, having placed 11th in 2025, 10th in 2024, 19th in 2023, and 21st in 2022. Lionel Messi won his eighth award in 2023, while Jude Bellingham finished one place ahead of Kane that year. Bellingham, with seven goals in eight appearances this season, is currently England's top scorer.
Kane's international form has remained sharp this autumn. He scored twice in England's 3-0 win over Czechia on October 6 and also netted a brace in the 7-0 demolition of Croatia three days earlier. Those results are part of a three-game winning run for Gareth Southgate's side, whose schedule continues with a home match against second-placed Croatia on Saturday 12 November. The team's recent form reads three wins and a defeat from their last four outings, a sequence that began with a 2-3 loss to Spain on 26 September.
The next Ballon d'Or ceremony will consider performances from the 2026-27 campaign, offering Kane another opportunity to end England's long wait for a winner.
This story first appeared at Yahoo Sports
