Harry Kane carries England’s hopes into the London Palladium with the weight of numbers behind him. The Bayern Munich striker scored 73 goals for club and country during the 2025/26 season, more than anyone has produced in a single campaign since Lionel Messi.
Jamie Carragher put the pro-Kane argument in its shortest form on Sky Sports.
“Kane should win the Ballon d’Or and the reason is because he’s scored 73 goals in a season and only Lionel Messi has scored more in a season,” he said.
Four English players have lifted the trophy before, but no one from England has won since Owen in 2001.
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Yamal and Mbappé circle
Lamine Yamal, 19, is the second favourite with bookmakers. The Barcelona winger finished runner-up at the 2025 ceremony behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé, and he has since added a World Cup winner’s medal with Spain.
Kylian Mbappé’s case is built around raw numbers rather than team trophies. The Real Madrid forward led La Liga and the Champions League in scoring without lifting a major team honour over the voting period.
Asked by reporters who he was voting for, Mbappé replied simply: “Myself.”
70th edition, first outside France
Monday night’s ceremony is the 70th since the award was created by France Football in 1956, and the first time the gala has been held outside France. The venue is the London Palladium, with Thierry Henry and Kate Scott hosting from 8pm local time.
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The move to London is a nod to Stanley Matthews, who won the inaugural Ballon d’Or in 1956 and remains the only footballer knighted while still playing.
Dembélé defends the men’s prize. The men’s winner is decided by one journalist from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations, who rank 10 players from a 30-strong shortlist, with 15 points for a first-place vote down to one point for 10th.
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