Harry Kane is bidding to become the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or in 25 years at tonight's ceremony in London. The Bayern Munich forward and Three Lions captain faces competition from Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe, who are also considered frontrunners for the award.
Kane has flown back to the UK to attend the event, as have Yamal and Mbappe. The winner will be officially announced in the coming hours.
Express Sport writers pick their winner
Express Sport writers have offered their views on who deserves the award, with Kane receiving mixed support.
Tom Victor backed Mbappe, arguing that if the award is viewed as an individual honour, the French international deserves the vote. Victor noted Mbappe delivered 10 goals and four assists at the World Cup, becoming the first player to hit double figures at the tournament since 1970, and scored 42 goals in the 2025/26 season for Real Madrid.
Yamal tipped for success
Archie Griggs expects Yamal to scoop the prize after securing La Liga glory with Barcelona and winning the World Cup with Spain. However, Griggs argued that would be an injustice to Kane, who has had the better individual campaign with 73 goals for club and country, more than any other nominee.
Jack McEachen also chose Mbappe, citing his exploits in North America this summer, where he took the Golden Boot and became the competition's all-time top scorer. McEachen noted that Lewandowski never received the award he deserved for similar reasons.
Kane backed by one writer
Amos Murphy was the only writer to select Kane, arguing that the award is an individual honour and that team achievements should render meaningless. Murphy stated that Kane has been operating on a consistent level for club and country that no other candidate can lay claim to, and suggested the award would lose credibility if Kane is not crowned winner.
