Kane Edges Mbappé in One of Ballon D’or’s Closest Votes

WHO:

ESPN - Harry Kane was 31 years old when he helped Barcelona win the LaLiga title and Spain win the World Cup.

Daily Mail Sports - A Scottish journalist omitted Kylian Mbappé from his Ballon d’Or ballot.

Daily Mail Sports - Harry Kane, England captain and Bayern Munich player, beat Kylian Mbappé to the men’s Ballon d’Or.

Bleacher Report - Kane, Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Rodri, and Lionel Messi were the top five finishers in the men’s award.

ESPN - Kane became the first English winner of the men’s Ballon d’Or in 25 years and Bayern Munich’s first winner in 45 years; he was also the first player at a German club to win it since 1996.

ESPN - Alexia Putellas won the Women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time, ahead of former Barcelona teammate Ewa Pajor; Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw finished third.

Bleacher Report - France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia said he felt Rodri “deprived Lamine of some votes” because voters split credit for Spain’s World Cup win.

Bleacher Report - Diario AS journalist José Félix Díaz, representing Spain, voted for Mbappé over Yamal and Kane.

WHAT:

BBC - England’s Michael Owen was the last Englishman to win the men’s Ballon d’Or before Harry Kane, in 2001.

BBC - The men’s Ballon d’Or was decided by a one-point margin twice: Bobby Charlton beat Eusebio in 1966, and Matthias Sammer beat Ronaldo in 1996.

ESPN - The men’s voting results included Jude Bellingham (107 points), Pau Cubarsí (101), Achraf Hakimi (65), Vitinha (59), Declan Rice (57), Ferran Torres (44), Vinícius Júnior (26), Marc Cucurella (16), João Neves (15), Willian Pacho (12), Gabriel (11), Lautaro Martínez (11), Nuno Mendes (8), Luis Díaz (8), Marquinhos (7), Dayot Upamecano (5), Bruno Fernandes (5), Julián Quiñones (4), and Sadio Mané and William Saliba (2 each).

Daily Mail Sports - An investigation was launched into suspicious bets that reportedly returned £149,000 and predicted Kane’s win.

Daily Mail Sports - Kane received 1,055 points from an international jury of 100 journalists.

Bleacher Report - Kane beat Mbappé by 28 points, 1,055 to 1,027; the margin was the fourth-narrowest in Ballon d’Or history, according to L’Équipe.

ESPN - The 28-point gap was the closest vote since Lionel Messi beat Virgil van Dijk by seven points in 2019.

Bleacher Report - Kane received 40 first-place votes; Mbappé received 23. Kane was left out of the top ten on two ballots, and Mbappé on three.

ESPN - Yamal scored 881 points and 13 first-place votes; Rodri placed fourth with 726 points and 10 first-place votes. ESPN reports Yamal was 146 points behind Mbappé; Bleacher Report reports Yamal finished 155 points ahead of Rodri.

ESPN - The men’s top ten were Kane (1,055), Mbappé (1,027), Yamal (881), Rodri (726), Messi (612), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (541), Ousmane Dembélé (418), Erling Haaland (378), Michael Olise (296), and Fabián Ruiz (201).

ESPN - Putellas earned 618 points, beating Pajor’s 532 by 86; she was first choice for 28 of 50 judges. Shaw scored 344.

WHERE:

ESPN - Kane played for Bayern Munich; Mbappé for Real Madrid; Yamal for Barcelona; Rodri was listed with Manchester City and Barcelona; Messi played for Inter Miami.

WHY:

ESPN - Kane scored 73 goals for club and country and was Europe’s top scorer; his six World Cup goals helped his country finish third.

ESPN - Mbappé scored 42 goals for Real Madrid and 22 for France at the World Cup, becoming the tournament’s all-time top scorer.

HOW:

BBC - Ronaldo, who presented Kane with his award in London, later won the Ballon d’Or in 1997 and 2002.

Bleacher Report - The men’s jury comprised voters representing the top 100 nations in FIFA rankings. Each selected ten players, awarding 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point by rank.

ESPN - French outlet L’Équipe published the voting breakdown; France Football’s print version was scheduled for release on Saturday.

Harry Kane has won the men’s Ballon d’Or, edging Kylian Mbappé in voting. The Bayern Munich striker scored 73 goals for club and country, becoming England’s first winner in 25 years. Alexia Putellas claimed her third women’s award, finishing ahead of Ewa Pajor.