Harry Kane won the men’s Ballon d’Or by just 28 points, one of the smallest winning margins in the award’s history. Organisers released the voting numbers on Saturday, showing Kane received 1,055 points to 1,027 for Real Madrid’s France forward Kylian Mbappe.
Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, became the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. England’s captain clinched the prize after scoring 73 goals in 65 matches last season, helping Bayern Munich to a league and cup double and leading England to a third-place finish at the World Cup.
Mbappe also recorded his best finish in the voting. He finished well clear of Spain forward Lamine Yamal, who was third with 881 points.
A historically tight finish
The margin was the smallest since Lionel Messi beat Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk by seven points in 2019. The men’s Ballon d’Or has been decided by a single point on two occasions. England World Cup winner Bobby Charlton, who was later knighted, beat Portugal star Eusebio by the smallest possible margin in 1966. Germany defender Matthias Sammer repeated the one-point victory when he edged out Brazil striker Ronaldo in 1996.
Mbappe may take encouragement from Ronaldo’s own experience with the award. The legendary frontman, who presented Kane with his trophy in London on Monday, went on to win in 1997 and again in 2002.
Kane joins England’s elite
Kane is the fifth English player to win the Ballon d’Or, following Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Michael Owen (2001).
The award is decided by votes from 100 journalists, using a weighted points system. The full top nine were:
- Harry Kane: 1,055 points
- Kylian Mbappe: 1,027 points
- Lamine Yamal: 881 points
- Lionel Messi: 612 points
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia: 541 points
- Ousmane Dembele: 418 points
- Erling Haaland: 378 points
- Michael Olise: 296 points
- Fabian Ruiz: 201 points
Mourinho praises Mbappe
Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho said Mbappe was handling the disappointment brilliantly. Speaking before Real’s La Liga game against Racing Santander on Sunday, Mourinho said of the 27-year-old: “Kylian is very intelligent and mature. He has very high self-esteem. And at the same time, he has class.”
“The way he handled the Ballon d’Or for Harry… all I saw and felt was class. And respect,” Mourinho added. “It’s one thing to know you’re the best, and another to have respect for someone who has also worked hard to win a trophy. All I see in him is class.”