Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe
© IMAGO
BALLON D'OR
Harry Kane is the current holder of the Ballon d’Or after winning the 2026 prize following a sensational year for Bayern Munich and England.
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker scored 73 goals for club and country across the 2025-26 campaign, while he won a domestic treble with Bayern and finished third at the World Cup with England.
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He fought off strong competition from Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) and Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) to win the award, and he became the 48th different winner of the Ballon d’Or in the process.
HARRY KANE IS THE 2026 BALLON D'OR! #ballondor https://t.co/k3CUlwLF1E
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) October 26, 2026
The Ballon d’Or began all the way back in 1956 and England’s Stanley Matthews was the inaugural winner of the prize. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the award between 2008 and 2023, but their era at the very top level is now over.
With his victory in 2026, Kane became just the fifth player other than Messi or Ronaldo to have won the Ballon d’Or since 2007 - with Luka Modric (2018), Karim Benzema (2022), Rodri (2024) and Ousmane Dembele (2025) the only other players to achieve this feat.
Here at FootballTransfers, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
What is the shortlist for the 2027 Ballon d’Or?
The 30-man shortlist for the 2027 Ballon d'Or has not yet been released. It will likely be released in September 2027.
Who is the favourite to win the 2027 Ballon d’Or?
Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, Raphinha, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Vitinha will likely be among the top contenders for the 2027 Ballon d’or, but a clear favourite has not yet been established.
Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or
© IMAGO - Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or
When does the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony take place?
The date for the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony has not yet been confirmed.
Where will the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony be held?
The venue for the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony has not yet been confirmed.
The 2026 ceremony was held in London to commemorate 70 years since England's Stanley Matthews won the inaugural award. The Theatre du Chatelet in Paris hosted the Ballon d'Or ceremony in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Who will present the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony?
The hosts for the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony have not yet been confirmed.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and broadcaster Kate Scott were the official hosts in 2026.
Past winners of the Ballon d’Or
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Year Winner
1956 Stanley Matthews (England)
1957 Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
1958 Raymond Kopa (France)
1959 Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
1960 Luis Suarez (Spain)
1961 Omar Sivori (Italy)
1962 Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
1963 Lev Yashin (USSR)
1964 Denis Law (Scotland)
1965 Eusebio (Portugal)
1966 Bobby Charlton (England)
1967 Florian Albert (Hungary)
1968 George Best (Northern Ireland)
1969 Gianni Rivera (Italy)
1970 Gerd Muller (Germany)
1971 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1972 Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
1973 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1974 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1975 Oleg Blokhin (USSR)
1976 Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
1977 Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
1978 Kevin Keegan (England)
1979 Kevin Keegan (England)
1980 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
1981 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
1982 Paolo Rossi (Italy)
1983 Michel Platini (France)
1984 Michel Platini (France)
1985 Michel Platini (France)
1986 Igor Belanov (USSR)
1987 Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
1988 Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1989 Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1990 Lothar Matthaus (Germany)
1991 Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
1992 Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1993 Roberto Baggio (Italy)
1994 Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
1995 George Weah (Liberia)
1996 Matthias Sammer (Germany)
1997 Ronaldo (Brazil)
1998 Zinedine Zidane (France)
1999 Rivaldo (Brazil)
2000 Luis Figo (Portugal)
2001 Michael Owen (England)
2002 Ronaldo (Brazil)
2003 Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic)
2004 Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
2005 Ronaldinho (Brazil)
2006 Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
2007 Kaka (Brazil)
2008 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2009 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2010 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2011 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2012 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2013 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2014 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2015 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2016 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2017 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2018 Luka Modric (Croatia)
2019 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2020 N/A
2021 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2022 Karim Benzema (France)
2023 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2024 Rodri (Spain)
2025 Ousmane Dembele (France)
2026 Harry Kane (England)
Who has won the most Ballon d’Or trophies?
Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d’Or trophies in football history. The former Barcelona forward has come out on top eight times.
The Argentina star won the first of his eight trophies in 2009. Further triumphs followed in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021, before his most recent victory in 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo is next in the standings with five wins, while Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten have each won the Ballon d'Or three times.
How many Ballon d’Or trophies has Lionel Messi won?
Eight. As well as his record number of victories, Messi has finished in second-place five times and in third-place once, giving him 14 appearances in the top three.
He won both the 2021 and 2023 awards, but he wasn’t even included in the 30-man shortlist in 2022 after his first season at PSG.
Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or eight times
© IMAGO - Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or eight times
How many Ballon d’Or trophies has Cristiano Ronaldo won?
Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times during his illustrious career. He claimed his first award in 2008, with further successes coming in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
The Portugal star has also recorded six second-place finishes as well as coming third once. He finished sixth in 2021, before a lowly 20th place in 2022 - his lowest position since 2005.
What is the Kopa Trophy?
The Kopa Trophy is an award that recognises the best-performing player under the age of 21 and it was first introduced in 2018. The award is voted for by former Ballon d'Or winners.
The award is named after Raymond Kopa, a French football legend who won three European Cup titles with Real Madrid and won the Ballon d'Or in 1958.
Kylian Mbappe won the inaugural award after helping France win the World Cup in 2018, before Matthijs de Ligt claimed the prize in 2019 following Ajax's outstanding Champions League campaign.
Pedri was successful in 2021 after a stellar year for Barcelona and Spain, while his team-mate Gavi won the award in 2022 following a stunning first season at Barcelona that also saw him break into the Spain squad.
Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal is the current holder of the Kopa Trophy after winning the 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions.
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Year Winner
2018 Kylian Mbappe (France)
2019 Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands)
2020 N/A
2021 Pedri (Spain)
2022 Gavi (Spain)
2023 Jude Bellingham (England)
2024 Lamine Yamal (Spain)
2025 Lamine Yamal (Spain)
2026 Lamine Yamal (Spain)
What is the Yashin Trophy?
The Yashin Trophy is awarded to the world's best goalkeeper each year, and is aptly named after Russian shot-stopper Lev Yashin, who is considered by many to have been the best goalkeeper of all time.
Just like the Kopa Trophy, former Ballon d'Or winners cast a vote to decide the winner, and the first award was won by Liverpool's Alisson in 2019.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was rewarded for a remarkable Euro 2020 campaign by winning the 2021 Yashin Trophy, while Thibaut Courtois' Champions League heroics ensured he won the 2022 award.
Gianluigi Donnarumma won the 2025 Yachin Trophy
© IMAGO - Gianluigi Donnarumma won the 2025 Yachin Trophy
Emiliano Martinez won the 2023 Yashin Trophy after his inspired performances at the 2022 World Cup played a crucial role in Argentina being crowned world champions.
Martinez became the first goalkeeper to retain the award by also scooping the 2024 Yashin Trophy off the back of a brilliant season with Aston Villa and a successful Copa America with his country.
Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Yashin Trophy for the second time in 2025 after a stunning, treble-winning campaign with PSG, following which he joined Manchester City.
Unai Simon is the current holder of the award after emerging victorious in 2026 following his exploits for Spain at the World Cup.
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Year Winner
2019 Alisson (Brazil)
2020 N/A
2021 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
2022 Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
2023 Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
2024 Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
2025 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
2026 Unai Simon (Spain)
What is the Women’s Ballon d’Or?
Alongside the men’s award, there is also a women’s Ballon d’Or that was introduced in 2018.
Like the men’s award, journalists from around the world vote for who has been the best player in the world during the calendar year. Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural women’s Ballon d’Or in 2018 and Megan Rapinoe lifted the prize in 2019.
Like the men’s award, the women’s ceremony was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Barcelona and Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won both the 2021 and 2022 awards.
Aitana Bonmati won in 2023 after leading Spain to World Cup glory and dominating European football with Barcelona - the Women’s Club of the Year.
History repeated itself in 2024, with Bonmati winning the Ballon d'Or and Barcelona being named Club of the Year.
Bonmati again won the Women's Ballon d'Or in 2025, while her teammate Vicky Lopez received the Kopa Trophy. Arsenal were named the Women's Club of the Year after winning the Champions League.
In 2026, the aforementioned Putellas was once again named the winner after a stellar season for Barcelona and Spain.
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Year Winner
2018 Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
2019 Megan Rapinoe (USA)
2020 N/A
2021 Alexia Putellas (Spain)
2022 Alexia Putellas (Spain)
2023 Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
2024 Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
2025 Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
2026 Alexia Putellas (Spain)
What is the shortlist for the 2027 Women’s Ballon d’Or?
The 30-woman shortlist for the 2027 Women’s Ballon d'Or has not yet been released. It will likely be released in September 2027.
What were the 2022 Ballon d'Or rule changes?
The Ballon d'Or underwent several big changes in 2022, with the most significant being the new schedule for the prize. While the Ballon d’Or was previously judged based on the calendar year (January to December), that was changed in accordance with the regular football season (August to July).
It means a player's entire season is judged upon, rather than two half-seasons.
There have also been changes to the voting system. While 127 journalists, one from each FIFA country, were part of the process to decide the winner in 2021, that has changed.
Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d'Or
© IMAGO - Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d'Or
Now, only the top 100 ranked countries in FIFA's coefficient will be able to have one representative conduct their vote. This has been to eliminate the weakest footballing countries to ensure a fair method of voting doesn’t include too many people. Each juror picks 10 players from the 30-man shortlist in descending order of preference.
France Football also cleared up the rules of how to award the victor. “The Ballon d'Or is an individual award,” they said. “Also, logically, criterion number 1 will focus primarily on individual performance and the decisive and impressive character of the contenders.
“Since football remains a collective sport despite everything, criterion number 2 will focus on collective performance and the record accumulated during the season. Finally, criterion number 3 will concern the class of the player and his sense of fair play.
“Because setting an example also counts. The most attentive will have noticed the disappearance of the 'player's career' criterion. A way of considering the race for the Ballon d'Or as an open competition, and not as a preserve.”
It has placed focus primarily on a player's individual season, with trophies as part of a team not as important.
How is the Ballon d’Or decided and who votes?
The initial 30-man shortlist is compiled by the editors at France Football, members of L’Equipe’s editorial staff, at least one member of the previous edition's jury, and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Fabio Capello for the men's trophy, and Nadine Kessler for the women's trophy.
The 10 selected players by each juror receive 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player with the highest overall score.
Why was the 2020 Ballon d’Or cancelled?
The 2020 Ballon d’Or was controversially cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pause in world football in March 2020 caused uncertainty over whether games would be played and if the season would be finished.
Indeed, both Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie ended their seasons early due to the pandemic, while international competitions like Euro 2020 were postponed.
The Ballon d’Or was cancelled on 20 July 2020, with France Football revealing the reason it would not be held was due to the “lack of a sufficiently level playing field” caused by the virus.
They added: “We did not want to put an indelible asterisk on the prize list as ‘a trophy won in exceptional circumstances due to the health crisis of Covid-19.’
“Protecting the credibility and legitimacy of such a prize also means guaranteeing its irreproachability over time.”
Robert Lewandowski was the favourite for the award had it not been cancelled.
The Pole was widely considered the deserving winner of the award and there has been a campaign in the footballing world to award him what is perceived to be a deserved accomplishment.
Between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Lewandowski had an absurd 101 goals and 18 assists in 85 club games, helping Bayern to the Champions League title in 2020 and also winning the FIFA Best Men’s Player award.
Upon receiving the 2021 Ballon d’Or, Messi acknowledged that Lewandowski should have the 2020 award in his trophy cabinet.
“Robert, you deserve your Ballon d’Or. Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner of this award,” the Argentina legend said.
What was the FIFA Ballon d’Or?
The Ballon d’Or has been its own award since 1956, but between 2010 and 2015, it merged with FIFA’s ‘World Player of the Year’ award to form the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
The FIFA World Player of the Year had been an award between 1991 and 2009, with both Ronaldo Nazario and Zinedine Zidane winning it three times, before it joined with the Ballon d’Or in 2010.
Messi won the first-ever joint award, and he retained it in 2011 and 2012, before Cristiano Ronaldo won successive awards in 2013 and 2014. Messi then won the final iteration of the award in 2015.
For 2016, FIFA and France Football parted ways, with the Ballon d’Or returning to its own independent award. FIFA, meanwhile, resurrected its previous award under a new name: The Best FIFA Men’s Player.
Andoni Iraola, LiverpoolNews