In London, English fans already see Harry Kane winning the Ballon d'Or despite competition

The Ballon d'Or will be awarded Monday October 26 in the evening. It is the most prestigious individual award for footballers. There are 30 candidates, including five French, Ousmane Dembélé, the title holder, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano.

Difficult to make predictions. Kylian Mbappé has a chance to win it. He scored 58 goals last season. He also finished top scorer in La Liga, the Spanish championship, and the World Cup, without winning any titles. Lamine Yamal, is Spanish champion with FC Barcelona and world champion with Spain. But he has been inconsistent and has only scored one goal during the World Cup. Ousmane Dembélé has again won Ligue 1 and the Champions League but he leaves a less strong impression than the year of his coronation. We are also talking about the Georgian from PSG, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, voted best player in the last Champions League. But his selection was not at the World Cup. And there is a man who won everything last season, the World Cup, the Champions League and League 1: Fabian Ruiz. The only problem is that the Spanish midfielder from PSG is not a scorer and he has not always been a starter. Finally, the Englishman Harry Kane scored 70 goals in 2025-2026. No one has done better this season. He was crowned German champion with Bayern and finished semi-finalist in the Champions League and the World Cup.

Harry Kane "shattered all records"

The Ballon d'Or is not awarded in Paris on Monday evening, where it was created in 1956 by the magazine France Football. The ceremony will be held for the first time in London. So obviously, the British would see their star striker and captain of their selection lift the trophy and finally succeed Michael Owen, who won the title 25 years ago. In any case, in London, where Harry Kane wore the colors of Tottenham for a long time, we strongly believe in it. On the football fields of the English capital, the Ballon d’Or already has its winner. No need to wait for the jury's verdict: for the supporters present, it's Harry Kane, and no one else.

“I think he’s the best striker in the world right now.”

A London football fan

"He won everything, he shattered the goal records. He won everything. He just didn't win the World Cup," said one fan. Another supporter considers that Harry Kane "deserves it because he gave everything. He gives his all on the pitch".

On TV and radio, sports commentators are holding their breath. "We have goals, lots of goals, we have the trophies. We have the individual distinctions and the performances on the biggest stage. At 33, Harry Kane is undoubtedly coming off the best season of his career. And if that's not enough for him to finally win the Ballon d'Or, what more can he do?" believes a sports commentator.

Even the person concerned believes it this time. "I'm proud to be in the running for distinctions such as the Ballon d'Or, that's for sure. I believe that every athlete, or every footballer, wants to give the best of themselves. That's what I do. It's important to keep your head on your shoulders, while recognizing your great performances and drawing positive energy from your successes," said Harry Kane. In London, English supporters have already taken out the flags and prepared the chants. In the pubs, they are just waiting for the green light from the jury.

Three criteria to determine the Ballon d’Or

Who votes to elect the Ballon d'Or? These are 100 journalists specializing in football, all chosen by France Football magazine. They come from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings, from Spain to Tajikistan. Each journalist elects their top 10. First place earns 15 points and so on until tenth, which is worth one point.

There are criteria to guide the jurors. The first concerns individual performance. It is evaluated by the decisive and “impressive” character of the player. Then, the jury evaluates the collective aspect, the number of trophies won in club and selection. Finally, the player must show class and fair play. This is perhaps the most subjective of criteria.

The women's Ballon d'Or is also obviously awarded on Monday evening. And for this eighth edition, it is the Spaniard Alexia Putellas, already titled in 2021 and 2022, who is the big favorite.