Harry Kane has ended the long wait for an English Ballon d’Or winner, but which players are in line to make sure the drought doesn’t repeat itself?
The Bayern Munich striker finally and deservedly scooped world football’s most coveted individual prize, seeing off challenges from the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Rodri.
In doing so, he becomes the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen way back in 2001, and just the fifth Three Lions player of all time alongside Kevin Keegan — who won it twice — Bobby Charlton and Stanley Matthews.
Given how England have re-established themselves as a competitive force on the international stage, coupled with the unmatched quality of the Premier League, it surely won’t be such a long wait for another English winner.
With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at two obvious contenders, two wildcards and two young English players who could follow in Kane’s Ballon d’Or footsteps.
Obvious
Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham finished 11th in this year’s Ballon d’Or voting, but if anything, he should have figured even higher. The midfielder was a force of nature at the World Cup over the summer, notching seven goals and an assist in eight appearances to fire England to third place, sometimes almost single-handedly.
What held Bellingham back was Real Madrid‘s trophyless 2025/26 season, but while he didn’t hit his very best form, he still managed eight goals and five assists in 40 appearances, cycling between attacking midfield and box-to-box positions.
He’s been in promising form at the start of this season and continues to be one of England’s most important stars. And at 23 years old, he still hasn’t even hit his prime.
Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka has been a regular source of output for Arsenal and England for years now, so much so that he often goes underappreciated. We just expect excellence from him.
But what is different for Saka is that he’s now a Premier League champion, playing for a club that came so close to winning the Champions League last season.
You can easily see Saka playing a key role in Arsenal winning multiple honours — including the Champions League at last — in 2027/28, before helping England lift Euro 2028 on home soil to end all those years of hurt. Achieve all that, and Saka’s Ballon d’Or case could be unassailable.
Wildcards
Anthony Gordon
Anthony Gordon massively boosted his future Ballon d’Or chances simply by virtue of moving to one of the Spanish giants over the summer. Real Madrid and Barcelona have, after all, had a chokehold on the award for most of the modern era. But there is also sporting merit to this.
Gordon has been a growing force for England and has now established himself among their most important players. The 25-year-old has scored or assisted in each of his last seven international appearances, has six goals and six assists in his last 13 caps, and scored the opening goal in the 2026 World Cup semi-final against Argentina.
It’s safe to say that Gordon is still finding his feet at Barcelona, but he has already registered four assists in nine La Liga appearances, while also finding the net in a 3-0 win over Getafe, and a 4-1 victory against Galatasaray in the Champions League.
Gordon has proven popular at the Camp Nou so far, and you feel like his best is very much yet to come.
Will Lankshear
We were tempted to put Declan Rice here due to the successes enjoyed by fellow midfielders Rodri and Luka Modric in recent years — not to mention the likes of Jorginho, Vitinha, Bellingham and Kevin De Bruyne making the top three.
But an English striker from the Tottenham Hotspur system currently cutting his teeth in the Championship? It felt like too good an opportunity to turn down, given this year’s Ballon d’Or winner.
Will Lankshear has a very long way to go if he’s to even get close to matching Kane’s achievements. However, he provided a solid return in the Championship last season despite Oxford United‘s relegation, while he’s been on fire since permanently joining Middlesbrough in the summer.
Lankshear has scored 13 goals in 15 games across all competitions, which includes 11 in 12 Championship outings and two more in the EFL Cup. His goals have fired Boro to the top of the table at this early stage, but regardless of which division they’re playing in next season, they’re going to struggle to keep hold of Lankshear in this form.
It’s likely that Lankshear will be back in the Premier League soon. Success there will lead to an England call-up and him potentially taking his place as Kane’s understudy and eventual replacement. Is it so far-fetched to imagine him eventually emulating his former Spurs counterpart?
Youngsters
Rio Ngumoha
Rio Ngumoha‘s rise for Liverpool has been rapid, and he’s broken a number of club records along the way, including becoming the youngest Premier League goalscorer at Anfield and in club history overall.
The winger’s talent hasn’t gone unnoticed. Thomas Tuchel has already capped him three times for England despite Ngumoha only turning 18 over the summer. In fact, he was probably the Three Lions’ most exciting performer in their pre-World Cup friendly against New Zealand, being given his opportunity despite not actually being called up for the tournament squad.
There is obviously a lot of development required for Ngumoha to establish himself as an elite force. However, all the hallmarks of a world-class winger are there. He’s probably England’s most exciting teenage talent right now.
Max Dowman
If Ngumoha is the most exciting teenager in the country, Max Dowman cannot be far behind.
The attacking midfielder/winger has already played 18 times for Arsenal’s senior team, despite not turning 17 until New Year’s Eve. He’s also managed three goals and an assist during that time, becoming the Premier League’s youngest-ever goalscorer with his memorable solo effort against Everton last season.
Dowman is in the headlines for the wrong reasons at the moment following his red card in the EFL Cup against Fleetwood, and Mikel Arteta‘s apparent outburst as he left the field.
But make no mistake, Arteta knows exactly how good Dowman is. Everybody at Arsenal and within the England youth system does. We have a potentially generational talent on our hands here, already producing at the highest level.