The 33-year-old Kane scored 73 goals for club and country in the 2025/26 season. He won the Bundesliga and German Cup with Bayern Munich and finished as the Bundesliga’s top scorer. England came third at the World Cup in North America.
Pajor won the Champions League and finished as its top scorer with 11 goals. She also won the Spanish league, cup and Super Cup in 2026. Across 46 club and national-team appearances last season, she scored 34 goals and provided eight assists.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid finished second, followed by Barcelona's Lamine Yamal. Lionel Messi came fifth. Robert Lewandowski, now at Chicago Fire after leaving Barcelona in June, was not among the 30 nominees.
The last Englishman to win the award before Kane was Michael Owen in 2001. Pajor’s second place equalled Lewandowski’s result in 2021, when he finished behind Messi.
Yamal and Barcelona’s Vicky Lopez won the Kopa Trophies for the best young male and female players, respectively. Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona were named the best men’s and women’s clubs.
Unai Simon and Cata Coll won the Yashin Trophies for the best goalkeepers.
Spain’s Luis de la Fuente and Pere Romeu won the men’s and women’s coaching awards, respectively, while Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award for social and charitable engagement.
Kane won the men’s Gerd Müller Trophy for the best striker, while Mexico’s Charlyn Corral of Pachuca received the women’s award.
The ceremony also paid tribute to former two-time winner Kevin Keegan, who died in July.
The event took place in London rather than Paris to mark the 70th anniversary of Stanley Matthews winning the award. It started late because traffic prevented some guests from arriving on time.
France Football has presented the men’s award since 1956 and the women’s award since 2018. The magazine and FIFA jointly awarded the FIFA Ballon d’Or from 2010 to 2015 before returning to separate awards in 2016.
(sp)
Source: PAP