The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony was held in London on 12 December 2026, with the French magazine France Football presenting the awards. English striker Harry Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, was crowned the world’s best player. He beat out Spain’s Lamine Yamal and France’s Kylian Mbappé to win the Ballon d’Or. In the same night, Kane also received the Gerd Müller Award for the top scorer in European leagues during the 2025‑26 season. Barcelona’s Alexia Poti was awarded the Ballon d’Or Féminin, recognising her performances for the club’s women’s team. Charlene Karl won the Gerd Müller Award for the best goal scorer of the year, while Katya Koul was named the world’s best women’s goalkeeper. On the club level, Paris Saint‑Germain were presented with the Best Men’s Club award for the 2025‑26 season, and Barcelona Women received the Best Women’s Club award for 2026. The Socrates Award for humanitarian work went to Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka. The Best Men’s Coach award returned to Spain’s Luis de la Fuente, the manager of the Spanish national team. The Best Men’s Goalkeeper award was given to Onay Simon.
Article source: Ennahar El Djadid | Image credit: Ennahar El Djadid