Dramatic finish: it has been revealed by how many points Kane beat Mbappé in the Ballon d'Or race

Harry Kane, the English striker of Bayern Munich, beat French forward Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid by fewer than 41 points in the race for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Details: According to the respected French publication France Football, the battle between the two prolific goalscorers ended with record-breaking voting figures separated by an extremely narrow margin. The final gap between first and second place was even smaller than the historic 41-point difference between Spain's Rodri and Brazil's Vinícius Júnior in 2024.

The French organizers also noted that the decisive factor in the distribution of votes was the split among the Spanish nominees. Barcelona's attacking leader Lamine Yamal and holding midfielder Rodri shared a significant portion of the points awarded by the international jury, ultimately working in favor of the English marksman in the overall standings.

It is worth noting that 33-year-old Harry Kane's victory ended a quarter-century wait for the inventors of football: the forward became the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen's triumph in 2001. His outstanding statistics in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League enabled the England captain to etch his name into the pantheon of the greatest goalscorers in sports history.

Reminder: Official: Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or!