Harry Kane won the men's Ballon d'Or by a mere 28 points, edging out Kylian Mbappe in one of the closest votes ever. Organisers revealed Kane collected 1,055 points to Mbappe's 1,027, making the England captain the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
The margin is the smallest since Lionel Messi beat Virgil van Dijk by seven points in 2019. Only twice has the award been decided by a single point: Bobby Charlton over Eusebio in 1966 and Matthias Sammer over Ronaldo in 1996.
Ronaldo, who presented Kane with the trophy in London, later won the Ballon d'Or in 1997 and 2002, offering Mbappe a precedent for future success. Spain's Lamine Yamal finished third with 881 points.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing