France Football editor reveals how Harry Kane overtook Kylian Mbappe to win Ballon d'Or 2026
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
The Bayern striker received the most votes to win the award.
The editor of France Football, the organisation that bestows the coveted Ballon d’Or, stated that Kylian Mbappe was “leading the race for a long time” and Harry Kane was not in a position to win.
Although Harry Kane was one of the favourites to win the prize before he arrived at the London event, opinions on whether he, Mbappe, or Lamine Yamal would win were divided because each had a unique case.
After having his finest season in front of goal to date, the Bayern Munich star would conclude the evening with the Golden Ball, becoming the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001. After finishing as the top scorer in LaLiga, the Champions League, and the World Cup, Mbappe would place second.
France Football editor reveals Mbappe was leading the majority of the time in the race for the award
Catch Every Update, Anytime, Anywhere
Although the 27-year-old Real Madrid player has not yet won the Ballon d’Or, Vincent Garcia, the editor of France Football, acknowledges that he was leading for a considerable amount of time before Harry Kane narrowly defeated him.
He said: “I was watching the results in real time during the month of the vote. Kylian Mbappe led the race for a long time, but Harry Kane came back into contention, and in the end, it was decided by a very, very small number of points.”
A significant administrative blunder occurred before the start of the evening, when Kane, Mbappe, and Yamal were all declared winners on the official Ballon d’Or website only hours before the London event.
Mbappe finished the evening without a trophy. Coming in second is the closest he has ever been in his career. In 2023, the France star’s prior best was third.
In the meantime, Yamal emerged as the top young player of his generation after winning the Kopa Trophy for the third year in a row.
The Barcelona star, however, asserted that young Spain centre-back Pau Cubarsí, a colleague, should have won the prize before him.
Who won the Ballon d’Or 2026?
Harry Kane.
Where did Mbappe finish in the race?
He finished second.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.