Every English player to win the Ballon d'Or - and how they won it

Harry Kane has joined an exclusive radical of English footballers aft winning the 2026 Ballon d'Or, becoming the 5th Englishman to assertion the prestigious idiosyncratic honour and ending a 25-year hold for a victor from his country.

The Bayern Munich striker was crowned the world's champion men's subordinate astatine the London Palladium connected Monday, October 26, pursuing a singular run that brought home silverware and planetary recognition. 

Kane finished up of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, adding football's astir coveted idiosyncratic prize to a vocation defined by prolific goalscoring.

Kane's triumph besides provides a fitting backdrop to the ceremony's instrumentality to England, 70 years aft Blackpool winger Sir Stanley Matthews became the inaugural recipient successful 1956. 

However, the travel betwixt the 2 English winners has been thing but straightforward, with lone 3 different compatriots claiming the grant successful the intervening decades.

Here, Sports Mole looks astatine the 5 Englishmen who person won the Ballon d'Or, the achievements that earned them designation and the legacies they near connected the game.

1. Sir Stanley Matthews – 1956

Matthews acceptable the modular erstwhile helium won the inaugural Ballon d'Or successful 1956, edging Real Madrid fable Alfredo Di Stefano by 3 points and finishing up of Raymond Kopa.

The Blackpool winger's grant recognised his exceptional idiosyncratic quality during the 1955-56 campaign, erstwhile helium helped the Tangerines decorativeness 2nd successful the First Division, their highest league presumption successful 25 years. 

Renowned for his dribbling, equilibrium and quality to bushed defenders, Matthews earned a estimation arsenic 1 of the astir breathtaking wide players of his generation.

His triumph was peculiarly singular due to the fact that helium was 41 years old, making him the oldest Ballon d'Or victor successful history.

Matthews' accomplishment established an English transportation to the grant from its precise beginning, and helium was aboriginal knighted successful 1965, becoming the archetypal footballer to person that honour portion inactive playing.

Although helium ne'er won the First Division rubric oregon the FA Cup, his idiosyncratic brilliance and longevity secured his spot among the game's pioneering superstars.

2. Sir Bobby Charlton – 1966

A decennary passed earlier different Englishman lifted the trophy, with Charlton's triumph coming successful the aforesaid twelvemonth that England won the World Cup connected location soil.

The Manchester United midfielder finished conscionable 1 constituent up of Benfica guardant Eusebio, with Franz Beckenbauer third. 

Charlton's power connected England's historical tourney was cardinal to his victory, arsenic helium scored 3 goals, including some strikes successful the 2-1 semi-final triumph implicit Portugal.

He was besides named successful the Team of the Tournament aft helping England decision West Germany 4-2 aft other clip successful the final.

A subsister of the 1958 Munich aerial disaster, helium had rebuilt his vocation to go 1 of Manchester United's defining figures, aboriginal helping the nine triumph the European Cup successful 1968.

His lasting successful shot past rests connected his operation of method quality, almighty shooting and singular resilience. 

Charlton remains 1 of England's astir revered players, and his 1966 triumph remains inseparable from the country's top planetary achievement.

3. Kevin Keegan – 1978 and 1979

Keegan became the 3rd Englishman to triumph the Ballon d'Or successful 1978 portion playing for Hamburg, earlier retaining the grant the pursuing year.

His archetypal triumph came aft a play of outstanding performances for nine and country, with his energy, question and relentless enactment complaint making him 1 of Europe's astir influential attacking players. 

He finished up of Austrian striker Hans Krankl successful the 1978 voting, portion Dutch guardant Rob Rensenbrink was among the starring contenders.

Keegan's 2nd triumph was peculiarly important due to the fact that helium helped Hamburg triumph their archetypal Bundesliga rubric since 1960. 

He scored 17 league goals during the campaign, including 11 successful the last 12 matches arsenic the nine surged towards the championship.

Unlike Matthews and Charlton, Keegan did not request a World Cup-winning run to found himself arsenic the champion subordinate successful Europe, and helium remains the lone Englishman to person won the Ballon d'Or successful consecutive years.

Keegan aboriginal became a salient manager, but his European playing vocation remains the defining section of his legacy.

4. Michael Owen – 2001

Owen's triumph arrived 22 years aft Keegan's 2nd award, with the Liverpool striker becoming the 4th English victor aft a spectacular 2001.

Liverpool secured the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup, with Owen playing a decisive relation successful their success. 

His 2 precocious goals successful the FA Cup last against Arsenal turned a 1-0 shortage into a 2-1 victory, portion his performances passim the run established him arsenic 1 of Europe's astir unsafe forwards.

Owen besides scored a memorable hat-trick successful England's 5-1 World Cup qualifying triumph implicit Germany successful Munich, and finished up of Real Madrid's Raul and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn successful the Ballon d'Or voting.

At conscionable 22, Owen became the archetypal Liverpool subordinate to triumph the grant and 1 of its youngest recipients, with his explosive pace, intelligent question and objective finishing making him a feared striker, portion his planetary vocation included appearances astatine 3 large tournaments.

Injuries yet prevented Owen from maintaining the bonzer level of his aboriginal career, but his 2001 achievements stay among the finest idiosyncratic campaigns by an English forward.

5. Harry Kane – 2026

Kane's triumph ends the longest hold betwixt English Ballon d'Or winners, with 25 years separating his occurrence from Owen's successful 2001.

The England captain's designation represents the culmination of a vocation successful which consistency, professionalism and an exceptional knowing of the centre-forward relation person made him 1 of the astir respected strikers of his generation. 

His determination to Bayern Munich successful 2023 provided a caller level for his goalscoring, portion his quality to harvester finishing with intelligent link-up play has strengthened his lasting successful European football.

He scored 73 goals successful 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and England, portion helium won the Bundesliga and German Cup trophies, portion besides scoring six times astatine the 2026 World Cup arsenic England finished third.

The grant besides marks a important milestone aft years of idiosyncratic excellence without the game's highest idiosyncratic honour. 

Kane antecedently experienced disappointment successful large finals, including Tottenham's decision successful the 2019 Champions League last and England's losses successful the 2021 and 2024 European Championship finals.

At 33, Kane's designation is some a reward for sustained excellence and a defining infinitesimal for English football.