Ballon d’Or: Harry Kane among five oldest winners
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
At 33, Harry Kane becomes one of the oldest players to win the men’s Ballon d’Or, behind, among others, Stanley Matthews, who won at 41. The ranking looks at five winners honoured after turning 30, according to Vanguard, following the ceremony in London.
Harry Kane, the English Bayern Munich striker, won the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or at the age of 33 and is among the five oldest winners in the award’s history, Vanguard reports. He is the first Englishman to receive the honour since Michael Owen in 2001.
The record remains held by Sir Stanley Matthews, the English Blackpool winger, who was honoured at the age of 41 years and 321 days at the first edition of the award in 1956. Argentina captain Lionel Messi is second in the ranking after winning his eighth Ballon d’Or at the age of 36 in 2023, following his team’s triumph at the 2022 World Cup.
The 2026 award ceremony was held in London on Monday 26 October. The Ballon d’Or is awarded by French magazine France Football to the player judged to have performed best over a given period.
Kane’s win was announced on 26 October, after the release of the top 30 in the 2026 Ballon d’Or ranking. The top 30 ranking was published before the London ceremony.
