{
  "id": 16680779,
  "title": "Kane beats Yamal and Mbappe to taste Ballon d’Or glory",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/kane-beats-yamal-and-mbappe-to-taste-ballon-dor-glory-16680779",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-26T23:06:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2026/10/27/harry-kane-wins-men-s-ballon-d-or"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Harry Kane claimed the Men's Ballon d'Or trophy at the 2026 awards ceremony in London, marking England's first winner in 25 years. He defeated competitors Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe. Alexia Putellas secured the women's prize for a third time, extending Spain's dominance. The inaugural ceremony in England faced initial setbacks due to London traffic, causing a delay and late arrivals. Kane's 73 goals in 65 games for Bayern Munich and the national team, including six goals in England's World Cup third-place finish, led to his victory. He expressed gratitude to his teammates, stating, \"Without you guys, it wouldn't be possible.\" Putellas, who won in 2021 and 2022, marked her return to the top of women's football. Yamal received the award for Young Player of the Year for the third consecutive time, while Mbappe edged out Yamal to win the award. Luis de la Fuente was named Men's Coach of the Year, and Pere Romeu was awarded Women's Coach of the Year. Bukayo Saka received the Socrates award for humanitarian work.",
  "summary": "With 73 goals in 65 appearances, the striker propelled Bayern Munich to a league and cup double and England to the World Cup semi-finals.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}