Explained | What is the Ballon d’Or?

• England’s star striker Harry Kane and Spain’s midfielder Alexia Putellas won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, football’s highest individual honour on October 26.

• At just 19 years of age, Spain’s Lamine Yamal became the first footballer in history to win the Men’s Young Talent of the Year award three times in a row.

• The Barca forward lifted the trophy honouring the world’s best footballer under 21.

• Kane was the first Englishman to win the prestigious award since Michael Owen in 2001. 

• Putellas lifted her third women’s Ballon d’Or, after winning four trophies with Barcelona last season, including the Spanish Super Cup. 

What is the Ballon d’Or?

• Awarded by France Football magazine, the Ballon d’Or has been given out to men annually since 1956.

• It is voted on by a panel of international journalists and is the most prestigious individual honour in the sport.

• Each journalist, one per country, selects 10 players in ranked order, with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points. Unlike FIFA’s awards for the best players each year, fans aren’t part of the voting system.

• The women’s trophy was created in 2018, and both were cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

• Over its long history, the Ballon d’Or has produced some of the game’s most iconic winners. Lionel Messi holds the record with eight victories, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five.

• The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony was held at the London Palladium Theatre in London, marking the first time the event was hosted outside of France.

• The relocation of the ceremony to the British capital pays tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the English winger for Blackpool FC who was the very first winner of the trophy 70 years ago.