Kane, a Ballon d'Or without trophies and today's 5⃣ top stories

Ballon d’Or hangover? Hang in there a little longer, because last night’s ceremony has left us with a few more interesting talking points.  

🤔 A little dig from Harry Kane at his rivals?

Kane, a Ballon d'Or without trophies

“Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise. 🏆,” Harry Kane wrote on social media after winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

The message, which looked very much like it had been carefully thought out and prepared in advance, sounds like a thinly veiled dig at Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, who have not hesitated to stake their claim to the award whenever they have had the chance. 

📊 The closest Ballon d’Or race in history

📸 TOBY SHEPHEARD – AFP or licensors

“The race between Kane and Mbappé was incredibly tight. The gap was even smaller than the 41 points between Rodri and Vinicius in 2024, and that was already a very narrow margin. Mbappé led for a long time, but Kane ultimately came out on top,” explains Vincent García, editor-in-chief of France Football. 

🧤 A goalkeeper finally wins it

Kane, a Ballon d'Or without trophies

Plenty of people on X have joked that Harry Kane is also the first goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or since Lev Yashin in 1963.

It all goes back to that Tottenham–Asteras Tripolis Europa League match in 2004, when he had to put on the gloves after Lloris was injured.

🤔 A controversial award?

Let’s not forget that Harry Kane is the only Ballon d’Or winner in the last 30 years never to have won an international trophy with either his national team or any of his clubs.

📸 FRANCK FIFE – AFP or licensors

A quirk or an injustice?

🇫🇷 Meanwhile… PSG won

In the most parallel of universes during the Ballon d’Or ceremony, PSG beat Olympique Lyonnais to go top of Ligue 1.

Stunning goals from Mayulu and Godts. 

📺 Which matches should you watch today?

• 18:30 Sassuolo-Lazio
• 19:00 Pinatar-Elche (Copa del Rey)
• 19:00 Sestao River-Espanyol (Copa del Rey)
• 20:45 Roma-Cagliari
• 20:45 Borussia Dortmund-Werder Bremen (Pokal)
• 21:00 Alcázar-Málaga (Copa del Rey)
• 21:00 Manacor-Villarreal (Copa del Rey)
• 21:00 Recreativo-Rayo Vallecano (Copa del Rey)
• 21:00 Fleetwood-Arsenal (EFL Cup)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.