Kane Becomes First Englishman Named German Player of the Season

Harry Kane has been named Germany’s Footballer of the Year for 2026, making him the first English player to receive the prize.

The Bayern Munich forward netted 61 goals across all competitions last season, helping his team secure a domestic league-and-cup double and advance to the Champions League semi-finals.

The honour is open to Bundesliga footballers as well as German players based overseas. It is organised by Kicker magazine, with 695 members of Germany’s sports journalists association taking part in the vote.

Kane collected 272 votes to finish ahead of Bayern colleague Michael Olise, who received 203. Olise had also placed second in 2025, when Florian Wirtz claimed the award.

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl said it was extremely difficult to find words impressive enough to capture Kane’s achievements.

Eberl added that Kane had previously earned the Footballer of the Year title in England and had now secured the equivalent distinction in Germany.

The England captain is considered one of the leading contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, scheduled to be presented in London in October. Victory would make him only the second Englishman to win the accolade while representing a German club, following Kevin Keegan’s triumphs with Hamburg in 1978 and 1979.

Bayern manager Vincent Kompany received the coach of the year honour, while Giulia Gwinn, captain of the club’s women’s team, was selected as the leading female player.

Kane and Kompany are set to be recognised on Friday when Bayern host VfB Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena in their opening Bundesliga fixture.

Bayern opened the campaign by lifting a trophy on Saturday after defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the German Super Cup.

Kane also received the 2026 Golden Shoe on Wednesday after finishing last season as the highest scorer among Europe’s major domestic leagues.