Harry Kane took home his first prestigious award at the 2026 Ballon d’Or gala. The FC Bayern striker was awarded the Gerd Müller Trophy on Monday evening in London, naming him the world’s top goal scorer. For the 33-year-old, it is the reward for an extraordinary season in the jersey of Germany’s record-holding champions.
While both individual performance and team success play an important role in the Ballon d’Or selection, the Gerd Müller Trophy focuses on one thing above all else: the number of goals scored. The award honors the most prolific goal scorers during the relevant evaluation period.
For Kane, winning the trophy marks another milestone in his career. The English national team player impressively demonstrated his exceptional scoring ability again last season, thereby prevailing over the international competition.
Kane succeeds Gyökeres
With this victory, Kane takes over from Swedish national team player Viktor Gyökeres. The forward, who is now under contract with Arsenal FC, had won the Gerd Müller Trophy last year.
Gyökeres put up impressive numbers at the time. He scored a total of 63 goals in 58 matches. In the Portuguese league alone, he netted 39 goals in 33 games.
Now the award goes to FC Bayern. With his outstanding scoring rate, Kane has established himself at the top of the international scoring charts.
The Englishman was once again the central figure in Munich’s offense last season. With his goals, he played a decisive role in winning the German championship and the DFB Cup.
The striker also demonstrated his qualities on the international stage.
Bayern star follows in the footsteps of Gerd Müller
This award holds special significance for FC Bayern. After all, the trophy bears the name of one of the club’s greatest legends of all time.
Gerd Müller shaped the history of Germany’s record champion for many years and is still considered one of the most successful goal scorers in world soccer.
The fact that a Bayern striker, of all people, has now won the award named after him is sure to bring special joy to the Munich fans.
Since joining FC Bayern, Kane has established himself as one of Europe’s most reliable goal scorers. The 33-year-old impresses not only with his finishing but also with his ability to set up plays and his involvement in building up the offense.
For the Gerd Müller Trophy, however, it’s the goals that count above all else. And in this category, there was simply no getting past Harry Kane in 2026.