Exciting behind the scenes: France Football Editor in Chief reveals a resounding surprise regarding Harry Kane's win

Vincent Garcia reveals behind the scenes of the historic voting for Harry Kane

Ballon d'Or Today at 13:14

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Exciting behind the scenes: France Football Editor in Chief reveals a resounding surprise regarding Harry Kane's win

France Football editor in chief Vincent Garcia has revealed that Harry Kane overturned Kylian Mbappe's lead to win the Ballon d'Or 2026 by fewer than 41 point, making it one of the closest contests in the award's recent history.

The revelation came shortly after the Bayern Munich striker claimed his first Ballon d'Or at Monday's ceremony in London, becoming the first Englishman to win the prestigious individual prize since Michael Owen in 2001.

Speaking to French television channel L'Équipe, Garcia disclosed previously unknown details about the voting process including how Mbappe had appeared to be heading towards victory before Kane overtook him.

Mbappe led the race before Kane's remarkable comeback

The Real Madrid forward remained ahead during much of the voting period.

"During the month of voting, Kylian led the race and Kane came back" Garcia explained.

The France Football chief also revealed that the final difference between the two players was smaller than the margin separating Rodri and Vinicius Junior in 2024.

That year, the Manchester City midfielder defeated the Brazilian winger by just 41 point, meaning Kane's advantage over Mbappe was even narrower.

However, Garcia did not disclose the exact number of points separating the two finalists.

The revelation offers a different perspective on the final 2026 Ballon d'Or rankings, which placed Kane first, Mbappé second and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal third.

France Football editor admits he did not vote for Kane

Perhaps the most unexpected revelation concerned Garcia's own voting preference.

Despite overseeing France Football, the publication responsible for the award, Garcia acknowledged that he had not selected Kane as his preferred candidate.

He declined to identify the player he had supported, explaining that individual ballots should remain confidential until their official publication.

His admission highlights the differences of opinion among the international journalists responsible for determining the winner.

Garcia also addressed why Lamine Yamal who helped Spain win the 2026 World Cup, finished third despite his impressive performances.

He suggested that support for Spain's victorious national team had been divided between Yamal and midfielder Rodri who finished fourth.

According to Garcia, Rodri attracted votes that might otherwise have strengthened Yamal's challenge.

However, the precise impact of that division cannot be established until the detailed voting figures become available.

🗣️: « Mbappé a fait une très bonne campagne. D'autres ont fait une mauvaise campagne, comme le PSG. Je pense qu'ils auraient dû pousser pour Ousmane Dembélé. » Vincent Garcia, le rédacteur en chef de France Football au sujet de la communication du PSG. #EDS #BallonDor https://t.co/xB2FNcR1Qm
— L'Équipe du soir (@lequipedusoir) October 27, 2026

Why did Harry Kane win the 2026 Ballon d'Or?

Kane's victory followed an outstanding 2025 /26 campaign in which he scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England across all competitions.

The 33 year old helped Bayern secure a domestic treble while also scoring 14 goals in the Champions League as the German club reached the semi finals.

His exceptional goalscoring record was recognised separately when he won the 2026 Gerd Müller Trophy.

According to UEFA, Kane's achievements made him England's first Ballon d'Or winner in 25 years and rewarded his individual consistency throughout the campaign.

Garcia's comments nevertheless demonstrate how narrowly the outcome was decided, despite the England captain's remarkable statistics.

Vincent Garcia, rédacteur en chef de France Football, nous livre les premiers détails du Ballon d’Or 2026. L’écart entre Harry Kane, lauréat, et Kylian Mbappé, deuxième, est moins important que celui qui séparait Rodri de Vinicius Jr en 2024. https://t.co/a0EpxFLUUk
— L'Équipe (@lequipe) October 27, 2026

When will the full Ballon d'Or voting results be revealed?

The exact margin between Kane and Mbappe remains undisclosed.

France Football is expected to publish the complete voting breakdown in its Saturday 31 October edition, revealing how the international jury members ranked the leading candidates.

The figures should provide greater clarity about Kane's narrow victory, Mbappe's late disappointment and the distribution of votes between Spain's World Cup winning stars.

This article follows our newsroom’s editorial standards. To learn more about how we create and fact-check our content, see our Editorial Policy .

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.