The distance between Kane and Mbappé for the Ballon d'Or was less than 41 points

The 2026 Ballon d'Or was closely contested, with Harry Kane winning by less than 41 points over Kylian Mbappé. Vincent Garcia from France Football highlighted the tight race, noting that Kane's victory margin was narrower than that between Rodri and Vinícius in 2024. Mbappé led the voting for much of the period but was overtaken by Kane at the end. Lamine Yamal, another contender, secured the Kopa Trophy for best young player but finished third due to vote splitting among Spanish players. Garcia acknowledged Kane's impressive season, scoring 73 goals and achieving significant success with Bayern and the national team.