Kane Competes with Mbappé and Yamal for Ballon d'Or; Ceremony Held in London Tonight

All eyes are on London today, where the Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place amid an open competition among several of football’s top stars, led by France’s Kylian Mbappé, Spain’s Lamine Yamal, and England’s Harry Kane.

The prestigious individual award, presented by France Football magazine, is holding its gala event in the United Kingdom for the first time in its 70th edition, a move that harks back to the historical roots of the game in its birthplace.

The identity of the successor to France’s Olivier Giroud will be revealed during the ceremony. Although Giroud retained his title in the UEFA Champions League, his individual form has not reached the brilliance that characterized his performance last season, opening the door for fierce competition for the award.

In terms of striking statistics, striker Harry Kane leads the field after scoring 61 goals for Bayern Munich, who reached the Champions League semi-finals, bringing his total to 73 goals when including his strikes for the England national team, which finished third in the 2026 World Cup. Only Argentine Lionel Messi has surpassed this tally in a single season, netting 82 goals in the 2010-2011 campaign.

Kane, the 33-year-old star of the Three Lions, is trying not to focus on the Ballon d’Or race, as he put it, despite the difficulty of ignoring it. After drawing 2-2 with Arsenal, he said, “I try not to think about it, but it’s hard,” adding, “I’ll try to enjoy this evening as much as possible.”

The England captain’s calm approach contrasts with the statements of his main rivals, 27-year-old Mbappé and 19-year-old Yamal. The young Barcelona winger confidently stated, “I truly believe I deserve the award this year, given the titles I’ve won, including La Liga and the World Cup.”

In my view, Mbappé and I are the two best players in the world, and this is very clear; anyone who follows matches knows that.” Mbappé, who has not won any team trophies, relies on his individual statistics to bolster his chances, having topped the La Liga scoring charts with 25 goals and the UEFA Champions League with 15 goals. He has also become the all-time top scorer in the World Cup with 22 goals, including ten in the 2026 edition. The French star said: “I have been the top scorer in the biggest competitions, and I believe this year could be good for me; I have a positive feeling about it.”

The Ballon d’Or is awarded based on a vote by journalists, with one journalist from each of the top 100 men’s nations and the top 50 women’s nations in the FIFA rankings. The selection criteria, in order of importance, are individual performance and the player’s impact and decisiveness, followed by team results and trophies won, and finally sporting behavior.

The 30-player shortlist includes prominent names such as Spain’s World Cup-winning captain Rodri, his compatriot Fabián Ruiz, Paris Saint-Germain’s Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, eight-time winner Lionel Messi, and French international Michael Olise, who provided 31 assists and scored 22 goals for Bayern Munich last season.

The suspense surrounding the women’s award has intensified in the absence of Aitana Bonmatí. It is now certain that Bonmatí will relinquish her throne, as injuries that kept her sidelined for a long time disrupted her campaign during the 2025–2026 season. Consequently, Spain’s Alexia Putellas, winner in 2021 and 2022, aims to claim the Ballon d’Or for a third time in her career—an achievement no other player has accomplished since the award’s inception eight years ago, except her compatriot Aitana Bonmatí, who won it in the last three years, from 2023 to 2025.

Putellas, a former Barcelona star who currently plays for London City Lionesses in England, faces strong competition from Poland’s Eva Bauer and Spain’s Claudia Peña, her former Barcelona teammates. Also notable among the contenders are Haitian midfielder Michèle Dumornay, who plays for French club Lyon, and Jamaican forward Khadija Shaw, a star of Manchester City.

The ceremony, hosted by several stars including former French international Thierry Henry, will distribute several awards, as in previous editions, including Best Coach, Best Young Player, Best Goalkeeper, and others. A new award, the “Ballon d’Or for the Best in History,” will also be presented to a former star who has won the Ballon d’Or at least twice, based on an open public online vote.