Thomas Tuchel hails Harry Kane after England captain wins 2026 Ballon d’Or

Thomas Tuchel has congratulated Harry Kane after the England captain was named the winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or, saying the striker’s performances have left him short of words.

Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, finished ahead of Spain forward Lamine Yamal and France striker Kylian Mbappe to claim football’s most prestigious individual prize.

The 33-year-old scored 73 goals for club and country during an outstanding season, and became the first English player to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.

His success ended a 25-year wait for an English recipient and capped a significant year for the England captain.

Kane led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup under Tuchel, where they were beaten by Argentina. Although England missed out on a place in the final, they secured third place by defeating France in the play-off.

It was England’s best World Cup finish since they won the tournament in 1966.

In a message reported by The Independent, Tuchel said: “Congratulations, Harry, on a thoroughly deserved Ballon d’Or victory. I ran out of words to describe your performances a long time ago, but I am delighted to see the football world formally recognise you now.”

Tuchel also highlighted the significance of Kane becoming the first English winner of the award in a quarter of a century.

“To become the first Englishman to receive this great honour for 25 years makes it even more special, and we are fortunate to have you as our captain,” he said.

Kane’s achievement follows a season in which his goalscoring form for Bayern Munich and England placed him ahead of two of the game’s leading young and established stars, Yamal and Mbappe.

Tuchel ended his message by suggesting that Kane would quickly return to the work that has defined his career.

“I know you will enjoy this moment with your loved ones, and then return to doing what you do better than anything else: scoring goals and winning matches,” he said.