--- title: Harry Kane Won the Ballon d'Or Without the Trophies He Said He Needed, and Is Now Days From a New Bayern Deal description: Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or by 28 points with 73 goals in 65 games. Why he won without a major trophy, and his new Bayern Munich deal. author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-11-05T11:00:00.035Z updated: 2026-11-05T11:00:00.041Z canonical: https://www.richmanmagazine.com/article/harry-kane-ballon-dor-bayern-contract image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-35898730.webp categories: Sport, Culture content_type: News region: England, Germany publication: Rich Man Magazine about: - type: Person name: Harry Kane description: English footballer, captain of the England national team and striker for Bayern Munich, which he joined from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023. Winner of the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or. jobTitle: England captain and Bayern Munich striker; 2026 Ballon d'Or winner --- In November 2025, Harry Kane set out what he saw as the rule for winning the Ballon d'Or. 'I could score 100 goals this season, but if I don't win the Champions League or the World Cup, you're probably not going to win the Ballon d'Or,' he [told reporters](https://www.tntsports.co.uk/football/ballon-d-or/2025/harry-kane-erling-haaland-2026-world-cup-champions-league-goal-record_sto23241611/story.shtml) before England's last World Cup qualifier. He won neither. Bayern Munich went out of the Champions League in the semi-finals to Paris Saint-Germain, the eventual winners, and England lost their World Cup semi-final to Argentina. On Monday 26th October, at the London Palladium, Kane won the Ballon d'Or anyway. ## Kane Won the Ballon d'Or by 28 Points The vote was one of the closest in the award's history. According to [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/50330001/2026-ballon-dor-results-men-full-women-votes-kane-mbappe), Kane received 40 first-place votes and 1,055 points, while Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid took 23 first-place votes and 1,027 points. Barcelona's Lamine Yamal finished third. Kane became the fifth Englishman to win the award, after Sir Stanley Matthews in 1956, Sir Bobby Charlton in 1966, Kevin Keegan in 1978 and 1979, and Michael Owen in 2001. He is also the first player from the Bundesliga to win it in 30 years. The ceremony was held in the United Kingdom for the first time, in honour of Matthews, who won the first Ballon d'Or seven decades ago. ## How Harry Kane Won Without a Major Trophy Kane won on volume and on leadership. He scored 73 goals in 65 games for club and country, 61 for Bayern and 12 for England, according to the Football Association. Bayern won the Bundesliga and the German Cup, and Kane scored a second-half hat-trick in the cup final against VfB Stuttgart in May. [At the World Cup](https://www.richmanmagazine.com/article/the-world-cup-s-greatest-upsets), Forbes reports, he scored six goals and made one assist, captaining England in every game, and England beat France 6-4 in the third-place match. England head coach Thomas Tuchel said the country was lucky to have Kane as its leader. ## The Move From Tottenham at 30 Kane left Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023, aged 30, on a four-year contract with Bayern. He had broken records in north London but had never won a major trophy there. Since the move he has won two Bundesliga titles, the German Cup and two Franz Beckenbauer Supercups, according to [bundesliga.com](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/harry-kane-bayern-munich-contract-extension-talks-finer-points-dreesen-38685). He is the only player to finish as the Bundesliga's top scorer in each of his first three seasons in Germany, and he has scored 156 goals in 160 competitive games for the club. Kane has said he joined Bayern to win trophies and keep improving, that the decision led to the Ballon d'Or, and that he is glad he made the move. There is an argument here for any man weighing a late-career change. Kane gave up being the biggest name at a club that was not winning for a place where he had to prove himself again, and three years later he is the best footballer in the world. ## Harry Kane's New Bayern Contract Kane's current contract runs out in the summer of 2027, and talks on a new one have been going on since August. Speaking on Monday 2nd November before Bayern's Champions League game in Madrid, Kane said a deal was 'a matter of days'. Several reports say the new contract will keep him in Munich until 2029, though neither side has confirmed the length. His first two games as Ballon d'Or winner were not his sharpest. He missed a penalty in a 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund, and across that game and Tuesday's 2-0 win at Atlético Madrid he had 11 shots without putting one on target, though he set up a goal in each match. ## What Kane Still Wants to Win The trophies he once called essential are still the ones he wants. After the ceremony, he told AFP that the Champions League with Bayern and a major trophy with England were his number one priority. [Talk of a knighthood](https://www.richmanmagazine.com/article/5-rules-for-men-living-like-a-knight-how-to-earn-your-place-in-history-beyond-2025) followed the award. Kane told Sky Sports he would be proud to accept one, but admitted it would feel strange to have people call him Sir. Further reading: [Messi Takes Spain's Highest Sports Honour and Tells Children That Being Good Matters More Than Winning](https://www.richmanmagazine.com/article/messi-princess-of-asturias-award). ## FAQ **Q: Who won the Ballon d'Or 2026?** England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane won the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium on 26th October 2026. He finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal after scoring 73 goals in 65 games for club and country. Kane is the fifth English winner of the award and the first since Michael Owen in 2001. **Q: Who won the women's Ballon d'Or 2026?** Alexia Putellas of Spain won the 2026 women's Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium on 26th October 2026. It was her third win of the award, after her victories in 2021 and 2022.